Octo Colors
by Bang Rowdyruff
Summary: An Octoling finds herself alive after Agent 3's most recent massacre. Stranded and alone, all ways back to the Octarian civilization in the area are destroyed. The only way to get back would be to risk a trip through Inkopolis, the cursed home of the Inkling. Will a kind soul help her through the city? Will she end up ink on the sidewalk? Or will something much bigger happen?
1. Journey Through the Inkling City

Blue. So much blue. How did she even survive this massacre? Oh yeah. She hid. She was a disgrace to the entire Octarian race. But what was she supposed to do? That darn suction bomb almost ended her life. Her weapon wasn't as fortunate. She was completely defenseless and only watched as that accursed Agent 3 made quick work of her soldiers and her squad.

There was no way she could've taken him on without a weapon. Her entire squad, those under and above her all had their weapons pointed at him yet he managed to not only evade the rain of ink, but kept a safe circle for himself the entire time. He was obviously a highly trained killing machine. He rhythmically splatted everyone one by one with a bored look on his face, his helmet's tinted lens blocking whatever hid behind them.

She bet his eyes were red. The brightest, bloodiest shade of red that could ever grace anything this side of hell. There was no way he was an inkling. He was a monster. She took a sad breath as she looked for a way to possibly escape this ocean of ink. She scanned over what used to be her allies and spotted a leftover octoshot. There wasn't a lot of purple between her and the weapon but she needed to get her hands on it.

She stepped into the blue ink and let out a hiss. Her foot felt like it burning. She expected this but it didn't make it less painful. She decided it would be best to simply move as quick as this goo would allow her to and attempted to make a sprint towards the gun. Her attempted sprint was immediately slowed into a crawl as the ink latched on tightly to her feet and pulled it deeper into it with each step. She struggled but she pushed forward. The distance between her and the weapon didn't seem that far at first, but with her feet burning and getting heavier by the step, it might as well have been halfway across the world.

But she had started this. She had to finish it. She focused solely on the Octoshot and kept pushing forward. Slowly but surely, she made her way to it, prying it out of the ink that held onto it. She let out a disappointed groan seeing a few cracks and bends in the weapon.

"Please work," She muttered attaching the Octoshot to her half full inktank, the gun letting out a high pitched hiss at it being connected. She pointed the gun at the ground under her feet and pressed her finger against the trigger. She took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.

 _Click._

 _Click._

 _Click click click click._

"Oh come on!" She screamed smacking the weapon on the side a few times and continuing to press the trigger. The weapon oozed purple ink from its barrel, small droplets practically being absorbed by the blue ink already on the floor. "Why?! Why can't you just work!?" With another shake and a smack, the Octshot fired a blob of purple ink into the distance. The Octoling girl paused before pointing the weapon once again at her feet and pressed the trigger again. It took it a second but it fired again, the ink around her feet turning into a bright purple.

She let out a relaxed sigh as her ink soothed the burning on her feet. She fired a few more times making the puddle bigger and changed into her Octoling form. She let her ink calm her and refill her ink tank. Hearing the beep of the canister filling all the way up, she returned to her humanoid form and began making a trail back towards the kettle leading to her place of residence. The sun was going down and if she hurried she could be back to her house before it got to dark.

It was dark. Really dark. The only reason she could even see her hand in front of her face was the moon was kind enough to grace her with its entire presence. Every kettle she found, every way back to her house, was broken. A pool of dark blue ink telling her just who the culprit was. She fumed.

She looked up towards the full moon, and began to question what her next move would be. She couldn't just stay here. Stranded in the valley with no food or anything to drink did not sound too appealing. And she had no idea how to repair the kettles or even how those things worked. Her trying to fix those may cause them to warp her somewhere terrible. Or worse.

So yeah, trying to fix those things was not a good idea. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself. Wait, how did that Agent 3 get here? Obviously he had to come from somewhere. She turned around and looked towards the stream of purple she had created to get here. If she backtracked and followed the blue ink that remained she could possibly find a way out of the valley. But wait…that would mean she'd probably end up in Inkopolis.

In the enemy home front. Surrounded by those monsters of war. She brought her fist into her mouth and bit down lightly, a nervous habit of hers. Surely somewhere in the city there would be other ways to get to a section of Octovalley with functioning kettles. But she reaaaalllly didn't want to get surrounded by a bunch of Inklings. She glanced up to the moon again. It was the middle of the night. Maybe if she was really quiet and stayed to the shadows she could sneak pass any Inkling still up.

She pumped her arms to her side and decided she needed to act quickly. She turned into her Octopus form and jumped in her ink following the way back. It wasn't long until she noticed the trail of blue ink leading away from the carnage and quickly covered it up with her own so she could follow it as quickly as possible. At the end of the trail she found another grate, a bit larger than most and looked into it.

Once she did this, there was no turning back. She was about to jump into the belly of the beast. She took a deep breath and lightly smacked both sides of her face to pump herself up. She looked up at the moon again. It wasn't at its highest anymore. The night would be over soon. She had to hurry. She once again reverted to octopus form and jumped through the grates.

As soon as she fell through she felt the familiar tug of it guiding her to her destination, though compared to the ones that took her towards where she stayed, it was a lot gentler and wasn't as jerky. It spit her out right into a corner of a large plaza, her landing in a crouched battle stance. Her broken weapon was pointed in all directions while her eyes looked around erratically. Spotting an alleyway, she quickly ducked into it and behind a vending machine, holding her weapon close to her chest. Her heart was beating a mile a second and her breaths were coming out in quick bursts. She peeked around the vending machine and into the opening. She turned back around into her hiding position and froze. There was some…thing in the corner across from her. Something…spiky.

"What the…" She muttered out under her breath. That was quickly realized as a mistake as a small snail creatures opened its eyes and began shaking violently. The one next to it was awoken and began rattling as well, their shells making small clicking noises between each other. The small creatures weren't very mobile, and their shaking wasn't loud, but it was enough to awaken the spiky thing that they surrounded.

Instantly, a bright green eye opened and locked onto her position. She inhaled a startled breath and aimed the weapon at the figure. The eye narrowed at her and she started shaking. It was subtle but it was enough to know that combined with her weapon on the fritz, she would probably miss her target if it decided to make a move.

"What do ya think ya doin' here?" The thing said. Its voice was eerily calm and its face was unfazed by the weapon pointing at it. The Octoling girl wanted to scan over the creature to see if he had any weapons besides the massive ball of spikes on its head but those eyes locked hers in place. "Trying to get the jump on ol' Spyke, eh mate?" The figure said, the arm behind his back moving slightly. On the verge of a major panic attack, she turned and sprinted down the alley the way she came.

Spyke on the other hand watched as the figure fled the scene, his hand loosening the grip on the mini suction bomb hidden behind him. A quick flick of the wrist and boom, right between the eyes. Was that even an Inkling? Maybe their tentacles were just in some "fresh" new fashion. He was honestly a bit too tired to care. Not that he would anyway. He opened his mouth wide and let out a yawn, the snails around him shaking more violently. He could honestly say he hadn't expected that to be the first thing he saw when he woke up. He was expecting a little someone else. He turned his head to the sky. Didn't look like it would be dark too much longer, and he surely wasn't getting back to sleep now. He would just wait for his real guest to show up, followed by the slew of Inklings wanting their gear upgraded. He reached over and picked up one of the shaking sea snails with one hand and a screw driver with the other.

The Octoling was still doing her mad dash in random directions, turning corners and getting herself even more lost than she originally started. She was terrified that if she stopped and turned back that thing would be chasing her. She ran until she was panting heavily and hid between a trash can and a dumpster. Her weapon was still shaking in her hand as she tried to calm herself. There was the sound of a door opening and she stiffened. Peaking around the corner she saw Inklings leaving a building, four to be exact.

Three had weapons. She paled. Did that spiky thing call the cops? Was this an elite force sent out to hunt down the Octarian running through the city? Her heart was almost knocking against the metal breast plate she wore as she kept a warry eye on the group.

"I don't get how you guys do it. You could just stay here ya know? We're all friends. Seriously. I mean, it's like what, four, five in the morning?" The unarmed Inkling stated in the doorway.

"Well I have some things I need to do. It would be better if I got them all out of the way now while I'm up and at em then slept the rest of the day. That way I can survive another one of your all-nighters. That's how night owls work right?" A female inkling said descending the five steps to the street below. She held a large brush with bright pink ink on its end to match her tentacles. She was holding it straight up in an almost nervous matter like it would run off if she didn't.

"I sorta, snuck out to come party with you guys, so I kinda have to sneak back in," Another Inkling boy said scratching his bright orange tentacles with one hand and a gold weapon in his other hand. It looked a bit clunky but a weapon was a weapon and the Octoling's was not in any position to challenge anyone.

"And I'm not staying here alone with you again," The final Inkling spoke holding a very long green weapon over his shoulder. His turquoise tentacles hung freely to his shoulders. "Not after last time," The first Inkling laughed.

"Oh come on man! It was just harmless fun! I was bored!"

"Your 'harmless fun' nearly got us arrested," The turquoise inkling said, making air quotes with his free hand. The first Inkling laughed again as the rest chuckled.

"Well, it was fun regardless. See you all tomorrow! Good morning!" He said waving and closing his door, the rest repeated the farewell and began heading their separate ways. One down the street to the left, the other to the right, and the final…down the alley!

The Octoling's panic once again skyrocketed as the turquoise colored Inkling began walking towards her hiding spot. She hid further and further into the corner as he got closer. So focused on getting further away from this armed Inkling, she hadn't notice a small can behind her, knocking it over and making a very audible noise.

The Inkling froze and looked towards the noise. He eyed the area before eyeing the entire alley, never removing his weapon from its resting position. He let out a yawn and continued his journey down the alley, making a right turn once reaching its edge. The Octoling thought that she was dead. She held her breath for a while, not daring to move from her spot. After waiting long enough to where she thought the Inkling was long gone, she poked her head from her hiding space. Seeing the cost was clear, she slowly made her way out, trying to make as little noise as possible.

Which way should she go now? The Octoling once again brought her fist to her mouth in thought. If she followed the path that was more likely to run into the girl Inkling, she may be able to stay out of range of that brush weapon. But then again, that girl looked like the type that would scream first then look over the situation. She definitely didn't need her drawing the attention of other Inklings.

She didn't know what the golden weapon was the orange tentacled Inkling carried, and she would prefer not to find out. So yeah, the way he was going was a no. The one with the turquoise tentacles? Well, his weapon seemed to be a type of charger. If she were to run into him, she would have time to either get behind cover or perhaps wrestle it away from him before he could charge it up enough to do any real damage. Okay! So the path of the turquoise Inkling it was! She turned around and prepared to initiate stealth mode again.

She froze when on the far end of the alley, the boy from before was on one knee, one eye closed, the other looking into the scope of his weapon aimed at her. She panicked and stumbled, falling onto the ground and sitting up to look back at the Inkling ready to take her life. The Inkling adjusted his aim to place the laser pointer right between her eyes.

Was this where it all ended? Struck down by some random Inkling in a back alleyway? Her body shook, every carnal urge in her body telling her to run, to attempt to escape. But the logical side knew better. It was a narrow alley and he was holding a charger. Any attempt to run would end with her shot in the back. She noticed a slight movement in his hand. He was about to fire.

"W-wait!" She screeched, a bit louder and more pitiful than she intended. Her hands, one still holding the damaged octoshot, held between her in a vain attempt surrender. "I don't mean any harm! I-I-I just got lost here!" She was finding it hard to see. Things were going, fuzzy. "I don't even want to be here! I-I-…"She held her head down, her eyes overrunning with tears she didn't know she was creating. "I just want to go back to Octovalley…"

"Drop your weapon," The Octoling looked up, a bit more than shocked. "Drop your weapon and slide it, and your ink tank over to me," Was this Inkling showing mercy? The Octoling unwillingly cracked a smile and quickly moved to do as demanded, earning another statement from the Inkling.

"NICE! And slow…" He said put back on defense at how quickly she moved. His eye never left the scope of his weapon and the Octoling froze, slowly disconnected her ink tank from her back and her weapon and rolled it over to him. The weapon followed soon after. Using his foot, the Inkling took the Ink tank and broke it, splattering ink in a messy pool around his foot. Finally taking his eye away from the scope, he stood fully. He picked up the damaged weapon and dropped it in his backpack, never averting his aim at the Octoling. Flinging his backpack with the weapon he called out to the Octoling again.

"Walk this way," The Octoling swallowed. She slowly stood up and made her way towards the Inkling. She made sure not to move too quickly and even had her hands up to prove she wasn't going for anything. The Inkling gave her a wide girth to get to the other side of him, his weapon never lowering. "Now go that way. And no sudden movements,"

The Octoling complied, following ever direction the Inkling gave her. At the end of the journey, they reached the back entrance of a large compartment building. The Inkling stepped ahead and, averting his weapon away from the Octoling for the first time, opened the door. "In here. Hurry up," The Octoling girl complied again. A few more turns and a couple flights of stairs later, the Inkling boy opened a door and called the Octoling girl in," She entered and he shut and locked the door behind him.

The Octoling looked over the room they were in. Was this his apartment? It was much better than anything the Octarians had. There was a little nook entering the door that gave three options as to which way you could go. To the left was assumedly a kitchen area seeing as there was a fridge staring her in the face. To the right was a TV against the wall and a few couches that she could see from her angle to the doorway. Straight ahead was a long hallway with several doors. One of which the Inkling boy disappeared into. Standing in the little nook without directions, she waited. She eyed her immediate surroundings when the sound of feet returning brought her attention back.

She stiffened when the Inkling boy was coming back, charger weapon cast aside and replaced with a weapon that looked similar to an Octoshot but green with a turquoise color to it. As he approached, she was bombarded by thoughts of what he was going to do. Did he just want to bring her hear as to not disturb other Inklings? Did he simply want to finish her with his favorite weapon? Was he…Her breath caught in her throat. Was he going to have his way with her?!

"In there," He said, gesturing towards the room to her right. She slowly obeyed, her heartbeat echoing in her ears. "Sit. I don't care where," The Octoling looked at the two couches and chair in the room. She opted for the chair for some reason. It was really comfy. She may have enjoyed it if her mind wasn't freaking out on her. She had to calm herself down.

"What are you doing here?" The Inkling boy asked, his weapon pointed at the floor, but his finger on the trigger ready to fire.

"I told you! I got lost,"

"And ended up in Inkopolis?" The Inkling's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I had to come through Inkoplis! The section of Octovalley I was in didn't have any kettles back to Octrania!" The Inkling raised a turquoise eyebrow at her.

"Octrania?" The Octoling crossed her arms defiantly.

"Think of it as the Octarian's version of Inkopolis. And all the kettles to it were destroyed by that accursed third agent," The Octoling noticed her defiant position and quickly uncrossed her arms. She regretted the comment about the third agent. He may have been a famous war hero for all she knew and he just offended him in front of this clearly aggravated Inkling. With his free hand, he rubbed over his face and down one of his tentacles with an annoyed sigh. Or it could have been a tired sigh. It was anyone's guess.

His eyes stared at the floor. It was probably a tired sigh. His eyes just screamed he was too exhausted to be dealing with any of this. The Octoling noticed that his eyes were also a deep shade of purple. She found herself staring at them. Something about them was so…enchanting.

Those eyes shot up to look at her in an instant. Caught in the act of staring she turned her head and stared at the arm of the chair she sat in.

"I'll help you," The Octoling grew wide-eyed, not that the Inkling knew due to her mask, but she did.

"You'll…you'll what?" She said stunned. Never had she expected an Inkling to bring her to his own place of residence let alone help her return to hers.

"I said I'll help you. Unless you want to go back out on your own," The Octoling jumped up and clasped her hands together, a toothy smile on her face as she beamed at the kind boy.

"No! No no! I'll be happy to accept your help!" She beam, unknowingly almost being splatted on the spot.

"Alright, but while you're here, you're going to have to do what I say, when I say it. Got it?"

"Got it!" She said standing straight and throwing her hand to her head in a salute. The Inkling boy sighed again.

"First thing's first. Keep your voice down," The Octoling girl clasped both hands over her mouth. She had gotten too excited at the aspect of surviving to see another day. She didn't want other Inklings to show up. Especially that Agent 3 guy. She did not want to meet him.

"Second, stay away from windows. We don't need people seeing you and calling the cops," The Octoling nodded.

"Third, do not leave this apartment. At all. Got it?" More nodding. The Inkling boy let out a yawn this time.

"I am too tired for this…Come on…I'll show you where you'll be sleeping," The Octoling silently followed. She wondered where he'd make her sleep. On some old newspapers in the corner? Under the sink? In the bathroom?

"The bathroom is the last door in the hall," She knew it! "So there's that if you need it. You'll be sleeping in here," The Inkling opened a door on the right side of the hall. A supply closet maybe? The Octoling stepped in to see an actual bed room. She looked around curiously. There was a queen sized bed neatly folded with a nightstand on either side of it. To the right was a large bookshelf with all shelves completely occupied with books, save for the one at the very top. To the left was a closet that was currently opened, showing it was completely empty. She took more steps towards the bed in awe. This was where he was letting her sleep? Not a box? Not some dirty blanket on the floor? This was a pretty nice room. Wait…

"Is this your room?" The Inkling boy was resting against the doorway, raising an eyebrow at the question.

"What? No. This is the guest room. My room…is somewhere else…"He state blandly. The Octoling placed both hands on the bed and applied her weight, almost shocked just how much the bed absorbed it.

"You got a name?" The Inkling asked. The Octoling turned towards him, his eyes half-lidded but still furrowed into a small frown.

"It's Cerata," She said looking at the Inkling as he eyed her. "Do you?"

"Mine is Leviathon," There was a pause as he looked down the hallway. "But my friends call me…Inkay," Cerata tilted her head at both of his names.

"Inkay…" She said more to herself than him. Standing up fully, Inkay turned to exit.

"I'm going to bed. Don't try anything,"

"I won't,"

"Morning," And with that he closed the door. Cerata stared at the door for a minute before a strong yawn forced its way from her mouth. She removed her mask and metal armor and placed them on the nightstands on either side of her. She laid on the bed and got under the covers. This felt really nice, her exhaustion of her entire night of adventure catching up to her. Just as she closed her eyes to get some much needed rest, the sun shone a few rays through the window. She groaned and hid under the covers. She was usually just getting up by this time, not going to bed.

But hey, there's a first time for everything.

 **So first Splatoon fic up. Wow I'm all over the place…**

 **But anyway, I wanted to try my shot at a little Splatoon story. Would appreciate your thoughts on it and where you think the story is head. You may be right, you may be wrong. You'll only find out if you stick around for the next chapter.**

 **You can't expect me to have a splatoon story without references galore! Sure this chapter in particular doesn't have any besides the hinted weapons but keep your eyes open in later chapters to catch em all!**

 **On a final note, I chose the characters' names for reasons. Cerata comes from octocerata, which is another word for Octopoda, which if it wasn't obvious, is another word for Octopus. Leviathon translates to "powerful creature of the deep" Because of me not being a complete goober I fought the urge to name him "Inkviathon". I've been hanging around the dank memes of the Splatoonverse too long.**

 **Well I thank you all for reading and I hope you are excited to read the next chapter, and I'll see you next time.**

 **Astalabyebye,**

 **Bang**


	2. Five Days and counting

Leviathan shifted in his sleep, his bright purple eyes groggily opening up. Turning over to his nightstand, which was practically overrunning with miscellaneous items, he turned the clock towards himself to stare at the big red numbers on it until his eyes adjusted.

1:15. Yeah. That seemed like a reasonable time to get out of bed. He sat up and stretched, opening his mouth to let out a very satisfying yawn. He threw off his magenta bed sheets and threw his legs over the side. At first he just sat there staring blankly. His body had not yet given up the fight for sleep but he muscled his way through.

Finally standing up after a minute, Leviathan ran his hand over his tentacles. Snapping out of his almost trancelike state of tiredness, he remembered that he had a…guest, for lack of a better word. He turned his head towards the closet and walked towards it. He attempted to pull it open by reflex but forgot he had installed a clip lock on it last night. He groaned and tried to remember the four digit number he set the lock to.

"Let's see…0…8…1…0…," There was a soft click and as the lock came undone and he swung the doors open. Inside the doors was a walk-in closet with an assortment of weapons. From brushes, to chargers, blasters, and rollers, all were hung on the walls.

Was he the richest squid? No, but Turf Wars and Ranked Battles paid really well. If you won a lot of course. After glancing around the room and making sure everything was in its place, he closed the door and placed the lock back on it. Why did he even check his weapons? If that Octoling got her hands on any she would've just splatted him in his sleep.

Speaking of that Octoling, it was about time he went to check on her. Cerata was her name right? He walked to his door, unlocked it, and placed his hand on the knob. He paused for a second and looked down. Normally he wouldn't care to walk out of his room shirtless and his green boxers with Bloopers on them, but this morning probably wasn't going to be normal. If anything happened and he had to make a strategic withdrawal, he didn't want the world to see him dressed in the bare minimum.

Turning to a closet on the opposite end of the room, he opened it and grabbed a Basic Tee and his shorts before turning to exit his room once again. He slowly opened the door and peaked out. The hallway was of course the darkest seeing as there were no windows, but the rest of the lights were off as well. The sun was the only thing shining light in his home and that made him cautious.

He stepped out of his room eyeing the door to the guest room. Was Cerata still asleep? The open door and empty bed said no. She was awake somewhere. Leviathan's ears perked as he heard a slight rustling. He moved further towards the end of the hallway and quietly made his way towards the kitchen. He stepped into the doorway and paused.

Cerata was standing next to the counter, her back to him as the rustling noise was coming from whatever was in her hands. It didn't take a genius to know what she was doing. Crossing his arms he leaned against the doorway, letting his weight make just enough noise to get her attention.

Cerata jumped and turned wide-eyed, a Crabby-Cake held up to her mouth. Leviathan could only describe the face she was making as "kid caught in the cookie jar", but that's not what fully caught his attention. He was expecting to see her with her Octoling Goggles on, but instead, wide green eyes with purple highlights stared at him. His first instinct was to scan over her to see what else was different but enemy or no that would be rude. So he simply held eye contact. After about a second his brow furrowed in slightly.

"I'm sorry," Cerata said moving the small cake away from her mouth. "I-I-I was hungry, and you were asleep and I didn't want to disturb you and-"

"It's fine," Leviathan said waving a hand to silence her rant. "Eat whatever you want. I'm going to shower and then see if I could find you a way home," Cerata lit up at his words and danced on her feet in excitement.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Leviathan turned in the doorway to head to his room.

"Don't mention it,"

* * *

Fingers tapped impatiently against flesh. There was a low growl emitting across the small room as an Octoling sat reclined back with her arms crossed and her feet propped up on the desk in front of her. But this Octoling was…different.

For one, she was about a head taller than your standard Octoling. The second obvious difference was her tentacles. They weren't longer compared to other Octolings, but they were thicker. Much so to the point where you could only see one eye of her standard Octoling Goggles and barely any of the snarl she wore. The final major difference was her tentacle color. It was such a dark purple that it almost looked black.

There was the slight sound of little feet pitter pattering down the hall. Each step causing the Octoling to frown more and more. The door was slowly opened.

"Well?" She yelled out to the cowering Octarian as he entered the room. He stuttered and shuddered as his tentacle body looked left and right nervously. "Report, damn you!" The Octoling yelled causing the poor Octarian to jump.

"Um, well, we didn't…find anything…Miss…"

"You what?!" The Octoling yelled putting her feet down and slamming her fist against the desk. The Octarian jumped yet again.

"We looked all over the sector they were assigned. We didn't find anything. It is assumed that everyone was splatted and the zapfish stolen. I'm terribly sorry miss," The Octoling slowly leaned over the desk. All the rage gone from her face and replaced with a blank stare.

"Come closer," The Octoling said in a voice so calm and soothing the Octarian flinched and became even more afraid of what would happen to him. Against his better judgement he stepped forward.

"Closer," Another step forward.

"Clooooooseeerrr," A very slow step forward. At this point he was standing just on the other side of her desk. In the blink of an eye the Octoling reached over her desk and grabbed the Octarian by the head, picking him up till he was eye level.

"YOU'RE NOT SORRY YET! SORRY IS WHAT YOU'LL BE IF YOU DON'T GET BACK OUT THERE AND FIND WHAT I TOLD YOU TO FIND!" The Octoling threw the Octarian to the ground, the shaking creature backpedaling away from the angry beast. The Octoling sat back down and intertwined her fingers and rested her nose on them.

"Sorry is what any damn Inkling who messes with me will be,"

* * *

Cerata popped another Crabby Cake in her mouth as she looked over the little knick-knacks and items in the living room. He had a few pictures of him and some of what Cerata guessed were his allies. The item that got her attention the most was a little figurine of a Zapfish.

As cute as the little figurine was, it reminded her that she was surrounded by thieving little Inklings who take what doesn't belong to them. She then took another bite of the Crabby Cake, remembering she was eating the food of one of those thieving little Inklings.

With him now in the front of her mind, the Octoling turned her head towards the direction of the hallway. It sounded like the shower had stopped running. Curious, she walked over and peeked her head around the corner. The door had a bit of steam seeping from under it and was completely quiet. After a second, it opened.

Leviathan stepped out with his eyes closed, the steam from the shower flowing out around him like a mist. Cerata's eyes widened. He was…surprisingly muscular. He wasn't buff, but he was defined. The towel wrapped around his neck rubbed across his face as his body glinted a turquoise hue.

His eyes shot open, instantly locking on to hers like he knew she was staring. Caught in the act yet again, Cerata quickly went back around the corner. She wholly expected him to call out to her. Question what she was doing and probably scold her for being noisy. Instead she was greeted with the sound of a door opening and closing. She waited for a moment and after no sound was made, continued looking around the living room.

It wasn't too long afterward that the sound of a door opening echoed again. Cerata was studying the TV, flipping through channels with a curious look on her face. Leviathan stepped into the doorway, fully clothed this time.

"I'm going out to check for a way for you to go back. I shouldn't be gone long," He said barely giving a passing glance to the Octoling. Cerata gave a low "Okay" as the door was closed and she was once again plunged in silence.

She wasn't sure how she was going to kill time here. It's not like she had many options. Maybe she could do something nice for Inkay. Er, Leviathan. Yeah. She would think of something.

* * *

Leviathan trudged his way through the hustle and bustle of the city streets. If he was correct, he remembered being told that there was a kettle leading to Octovalley not too far from his location. Just down the street and around the corner in fact. This shouldn't be too hard. Just jump in, find a working kettle, and sneak Cerata back in under the cover of night. Nothing could go wrong.

Just as he was turning the corner, he cursed himself for jinxing it and stared as something had already went wrong. He was looking into a plaza. A much smaller one than where the Turf Wars are held, but a plaza nonetheless.

There was a sewer grate that, if his memory served him right, led to a section of Octovalley to the east. But the current problem was the grate was currently sealed off, and a police officer was standing next to it, seemingly writing something down. Against his better judgement, he stepped over to the officer.

"Excuse me sir?" He said looking up to the older Inkling. The cop tilted his head down to look at him. "This grate leads to Octovalley right? Why's it closed?" The cop stared at Leviathan for a second before placing his notepad in his pocket.

"This is why this generation should watch the news instead of all those Turf Wars…" The cop muttered to himself in an old 'this generation is doomed' tone. Leviathan flinched at the response but remained respectful.

"Early this morning some people found the shattered remains of an ink tank. Now that wouldn't be too bad had the ink not have been purple,"

"So what?" Leviathan asked. "Inklings use purple ink all the time,"

"True, but as I'm sure you know, Splatfest is in five days, and nobody wants any Octarians crashing the party. So as a precaution, all ways into Octovalley will be shut down until further notice," Leviathan cursed in his head. What a careless mistake he had made!

"Thank you sir. Have a good day,"

"No problem kid. Keep an eye out for anything strange, ya hear?" Leviathan simply nodded and turned to walk away. Well this was just splendid. Now what was he supposed to do? He knew the logical thing to do would be to just cash in his chips and turn Cerata over to the cops. But he had already said he was going to do something so by gosh he was going to do it.

With the inviting aroma of food suddenly filling his nostrils, Leviathan was reminded that he was hungry. He glanced around the plaza at all the available food courts, checking his pockets to make sure he had brought his money with him. Seeing that he had sufficient funds, he went to grab a bite to eat.

* * *

Cerata ran her hands over her tentacles and she let out a tired breath. She put on a small smile and looked over her handy work. Leviathan would be happy with this right? Who doesn't love a clean house? Cerata had took it upon herself to organize and clean the living room and the kitchen. They weren't necessarily dirty just…extremely cluttered.

Before her sprucing it up, the sink wasn't overrunning with filth, but neatly stacked with it. She wiped down the counters and the tables, getting rid of all the dust and grime on them. She was pretty proud of her handy work, but she questioned why she cared so much. She didn't have to do anything but wait, and here she was, wanting Leviathan to praise her efforts.

Regardless she was now sitting in a chair in a lemon scented kitchen, wondering what to do now. She turned towards the entrance to the kitchen as she heard the front door open.

"Cerata I-" There was a pause and Cerata heard Leviathan sniff the air several times. Within the second, Leviathan poked his head into the kitchen, his brows furrowed in a look of confusion. He looked at her, sitting down with one leg over the other then over the rest of the kitchen. As quick as he came, he was gone.

Had she done something wrong? Did he not like the cleanliness and the lemony fresh scent? That didn't make any sense because everything she used was found in his house. She stood up and walked towards the doorway to the kitchen, Leviathan standing in the living room across the hall. He turned to her with the same confused expression on his face.

"Did…you clean everything?"

"Yeah. Is that a problem?" Leviathan looked around the room before turning back towards Cerata.

"No it's not but…why?" Cerata crossed her arms and frowned at the ungrateful boy. A simple 'thank you' would be nice and instead she got interrogated.

"Well I'm pretty sure you keeping me here could put you in big trouble, so it's the least I can do," She responded matter-of-factly.

"Well…Thanks," He said giving her a nod and walking towards the kitchen. Cerata watched him walk by and noticed the bag he was carrying and grew curious. She followed him and caught up just as he was pulling out the contents and placing them on the counter.

"I bought some hotdogfish. I figured you were hungry and Crabby Cakes can only go so far," He said taking a container and handing it to her. Cerata slowly took the object from him and looked over it, pulling off its plastic wrapper and fully realizing her hunger that the dessert food didn't fully satisfy. "I got another one in the bag if you're still hungry afterwards," Leviathan said taking out a hotdogfish of his own.

"Thank you," Cerata whispered taking a seat at the table and slowly bringing the food up to her mouth.

"Don't mention it," Leviathan responded already taking a bite out of his. The two sat in silence, the only sound being the crinkle of plastic foil and teeth chewing food. Cerata stole a glance up to see Leviathan staring at the wall, his bright purple eyes seemed to be searching for something.

"It will be awhile before you can go home," He said out of the blue. Cerata slumped in her chair.

"Why?" There was a pause as Leviathan continued to stare at the wall.

"They found your ink tank that I had broken, so there are rumors that an Octoling is in the city," Cerata stiffened. Were they out looking for her? How long would it be before the door is kicked down and the apartment searched? "They don't believe the rumors are true, but they don't want to take any chances of an Octoling sabotaging Splatfest," Cerata tilted her head.

"Splat…fest?" She questioned. Leviathan turned towards her and she tensed. His eyes weren't furrowed into a glare or questioning her. They were just, observing her, and she didn't know how to feel about that.

"It's this big party that gets thrown every once in a while. There are fireworks, live music performances, and everyone roots for their team in Turf War that they picked, since the teams are different every time," Cerata had a few more questions but decided to ask what she felt was the most important one.

"So what? You're just going to leave me cooped up in here?" She said a childish pout on her lips. Leviathan actually chuckled at her and leaned back in his seat.

"If it keeps me out of trouble and you alive that's the plan," A smirk gracing his lips as Cerata's pouted more.

"Well what am I supposed to do all day?" Leviathan shrugged his shoulders.

"Do what a lot of lazy Inklings do all day, watch TV, or listen to the radio," Cerata slumped down sadly, looking over her half eaten hotdogfish with a sad expression on her face.

"Hey," She looked up to see Leviathan leaning forward, an inviting smile on his face. "Don't look so down. I'll get you back, I promise," He slowly extended his arm across the table, his pinky finger extended out towards her. Cerata sat back in confusion.

"What're you doing?" She asked. It was her turn for her face to shift into suspicious confusion. Leviathan was taken a back and all that confidence in his smile could practically be seen wiped away.

"Oh, uh, it's a…pinky promise,"

"A what?" with his other hand Leviathan scratched his head nervously.

"It's a squid…kid…thing,"

"Well stop it. I'm not a squid,"

"Listen, just…give me your pinky," With more suspicion gracing her face, Cerata slowly extended her hand towards the Inkling boy and he wrapped his pinky around hers. Bending his hand at the wrist, he tapped their thumbs together.

"There, now with this pinky promise, I am bound to keep it and get the job done," He said pulling his pinky away while keeping their thumbs connected. He sat back, a look of accomplishment on his face.

"That was it?" Cerata asked raising an eyebrow. Leviathan nodded. "That seemed unnecessary." He let out an exasperated sigh.

"Just go with it," He groaned out. Cerata couldn't help but find herself giggling at this odd Inkling.

"Yo Inkay! Open up man!" Cerata and Leviathan both jumped at the sudden knock at the door. They shared an uneasy glanced before jumping out of their seats. Cerata didn't know what to do and simply looked around the room in a panic as Leviathan ran over and began pushing her out of the kitchen.

"Go, go, go, go, go!" He whispered screamed to her as he pushed her into the guest room. He gestured towards the closet and very quietly said "Hide in there, and don't come out," Cerata nodded as Leviathan turned and closed the door. Cerata quickly ran into the closet and shut it behind her, scooting as far into the corner as she could.

She waited in the darkness listening as intently as she could. In the distance she could hear the door opening and a lot of voices talking at once. Her pace quickened as she hoped Leviathan had the situation under control.

She froze as the door to the room was kicked opened as an Inkling with dark blue tentacles stepped into the room. Her heart dropped at the sight of the Inkling with the same shade of blue as the slaughterer of her kind. He walked in with a huge smile on his face then leaned over the bed.

"I really wish you wouldn't do that…"A clearly annoyed Leviathan stated following the Inkling into the room. He was shortly followed by the two Inklings from the night before, both of which chuckling at his expense.

"Exhibit B!" The dark blue Inkling cried out. "This here is the guest bed, usually made neatly unless someone sleeps over, like you're darling friends!"

"Yeah? So?" Leviathan stated with a bored tone in his voice.

"So, my darling friend, if we didn't stay here last night, then who I wonder could possibly have slept in this bed?"

"One of my sisters maybe?" Leviathan stated in an overly sarcastic tone.

"Lies!" The Inkling cried turning and pointing an accusing finger at Leviathan. "Lies and Slander! Neither of your sisters would've slept in this bed! If it was your little sister, the adorable little thing would've begged to sleep in the same bed as her hero of a big brother! If it was your big sister, she would've no doubt fell asleep on the couch! Stuffing her face and watching TV!" The other two Inklings watched in amusement at the interrogation as Leviathan seemed to be getting more and more annoyed.

"She was tired and felt like the bed would be a better place to sleep,"

"More slander!" The Inkling cried a bright smile on his face. "Exhibit C!" He quickly turned and pointed a finger towards the metal breastplates on the nightstands beside the bed. "That armor is totally not the type your sister would wear! And even if it was, she wouldn't forget it when she left!"

"She didn't buy it. It was a gift from some fanboy. She didn't care about it so she forgot about it," The dark blue colored Inkling crossed his arms, closed his eyes and chuckled.

"You won't give up will you?"

"Will you?"

"The facts are all here!" The Inkling cried out. "A practically spotless house when you never clean! Not one, but two uneaten hotdogfish on opposite ends of the table! A messy guest bed and female armor that can't possibly belong to your sister! The truth is…" The Inkling threw an accusing finger right to Leviathan's face.

"You had a girl over! And you hid her…" He then swung that same finger towards the closet. "In that closet right there!" Cerata's heart dropped. How did he figure it out so quickly?! And without even trying?! That had to be Agent 3! It just had to be!

"Then check it," Leviathan's bored voice called out, making Cerata's heart feel practically nonexistent. "Prove your theories right,"

"I will!" Cerata's body felt heavy and she tensed as the footsteps approached her and the sound of the handle being gripped practically rang in her ears.

"But," everyone paused and looked at the turquoise Inkling. "Once you open the door and prove that you are in fact wrong, you're going to have to spend the entire weekend as a plaything,"

"A plaything?" The Inkling questioned. You could almost hear the smirk Leviathan put on as he continued.

"To both of my sisters," Likewise, you could almost hear the dark blue Inkling flinch.

"And if I'm right?"

"You have the privilege of being right and I'll allow you to take a pick from one of my weapons, and one of my gears,"

"Even the Inky Riders?" Leviathan nodded and the room grew silent, the two staring each other down.

"Well, if you're so sure that you want to bet the Riders on that…then maybe the closet is empty," The Inkling said removing his hand from the nob and scratching his head nervously.

"Oh? But you were so sure a second ago," Leviathan egged him as the other two laughed at the change of heart.

"Yeah well, it wouldn't make sense for you to have a girl over and she not sleep in your bed. I mean come on. Healthy guy alone with a girl over? It makes perfect sense for her to sleep in the same room as you!" The Inkling laughed as if he had just solved a major mystery on the first guess. The other two Inklings laughed and applauded at the scene.

"Mmmhmm," Leviathan muttered, a smirk on his face that was just screaming 'I know I won'. "Ya done? Cause I if you are I'd like to get ready,"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm done," The Inkling said turning towards the door. We'll be waiting outside OK? Don't take too long," Leviathan nodded and the other three Inklings stepped out. Leviathan closed the door behind him as he exited the room as well.

Cerata waited, her breath held in as the sound of people slowly faded into the distance. She was terrified. How close was she to being discovered? She didn't dare move in fear of the closet door being thrown open with that blue tentacled Inkling aiming a weapon at her. The door slowly creaked open and she tensed. She waited as soft footsteps slowly approached the door and paused. The door slowly creaked opened and she was sure she'd explode at how tense she was becoming.

"I'm headed out. Probably won't be back til late. Wait in here for a while before coming out," With that, Leviathan closed the door and Cerata let out a life's worth of breath she had been holding in. She slumped against the wall of the closet, now feeling extremely exhausted. There was no way that could've been any closer.

She found herself really scared. Yes the almost being caught by who she swears is Agent 3 was terrifying, but what she found herself more terrified of was Leviathan. He had just lied to his friend with the calmest of faces in such a way that he seemed like a pro at it. Was he lying to her? After that act and the bluff to end all bluffs, she wasn't entirely sure what he was telling her was the truth any more. For all she knew he could just be toying with her. That definitely was an option.

Sitting in fetal position in the corner of the closet, Cerata found herself staring at her pinky finger. She closed her eyes and brought it up to her chest.

* * *

 **And there's chapter 2. So not much happened, but a little something happened. We got to meet a special angry Octoling and we experienced Cerata's first day of hiding out in Inkopolis. Also one of Leviathan's friends figured it all out! Unfortunately for him, he second guessed himself so he walks away with nothing. Don't worry, more will be shown about Leviathan's friend next chapter.**

 **Well again, I thank you all for reading and those who reviewed the previous chapter get a special thank you as well. Until next time.**

 **Astalabyebye,**

 **Bang**


	3. Trouble in Paradise

Cerata stayed in the closet for what was probably longer than what was truly necessary, but she was afraid she'd open the door and she'd have four weapons pointed at her face. She eventually built up the courage to poke her head out and was greeted with an empty room.

She let out a sigh of relief and stepped further out of the closet. She glanced around the room and cautiously stepped into the hallway. The apartment was dark, as Cerata hoped it would be. She closed the door behind her and wondered what to do now.

Well, maybe she would do what Leviathan suggested and watch TV. But first, she was going to go get her hotdogfish.

* * *

The echo of heavy boots rang throughout the hallway. Octarians of all forms stepped out of the way of the rampaging Octoling. Those unfortunate enough to either not notice or not get out of the way in time found themselves roughly shoved to the side. The Octoling charged forward, a quiet anger written on her face. She turned a few corners before coming to a door and pounding her fist against it.

"Open up! Open up this instant!" There was an annoyed groan from the other side of the door.

"And if I say no?" The Octoling snarled at the response and her fist tightened.

"Then I'll will kick down this door and so help me I'll-"

"You'll what?"

"I will kick your lazy octopus ass! Ever since DJ Octavio was defeated by that accursed Agent 3 you've spent all your time in that damn room! Come out of there and answer my questions!" There was silence on the other end and when the voice spoke it was closer, like it was standing just on the other side of the door.

"You are forgetting I outrank you Octameri…"

"I don't give a damn! You were the one who organized the mission so open up and tell me-" The door was cracked opened and a hand shot out, grabbing the Octoling by the throat and lifting her off the ground.

"You need to learn your place Octameri…Less something bad happen to you…You understand?" The Octoling only coughed and choked as her hands clawed and gripped at the hands around her throat. "Do you, understand?" A single red eye glowed in the darkness of the room. Struggling to get enough air in her lungs to respond, Octameri choked out a

"Yes sir,"

"Good girl. Now…leave me be," Octameri was dropped to the ground, coughing and trying to get air back into her lungs as the door slammed closed again. Once she had enough air in her body, she turned to give a glare towards the door. Thatprick.

"You there!" She yelled pointing towards a random Octarian as she stood to her feet. "Get me my gauntlets! I'm going out,"

* * *

"Come on, Inkay! Put your game face on!" Leviathan smirked at his friend and shook his head.

"It would be easier to remember mine if you weren't always wearing yours Shiro," The usually blue tentacled Inkling chuckled as he spun his splattershot in his hand.

"Gotta infect people with the smile bro,"

"If you two lovesquids are done, I'd like to get to the spawn point so we can start," Another Inkling with a golden weapon looked back at the Inklings behind him.

"Relax Kelp. We can handle these guys without their help. Let them do what they want. Love wins right guys?" The Inkling girl turned towards Shiro and Leviathan and gave a wink, her brush resting on her shoulder.

"You know it Lyra! Isn't that right Inky-winky" Shiro said turning back toward Leviathan and making kissy sounds and faces. Leviathan shoved Shiro with his weapon and rolled his eyes.

"Very funny guys, but don't underestimate the opponent. You never know when they'll surprise us," The rest of the group nodded and began walking forward. "Alright, you know the deal. Lyra, you draw their fire being the fastest. Kelp, you cover as much ground as possible and bombard them with Inkstrikes. Shiro, you're on front lines to splat as many as possible and watch over Lyra," The group nodded, all with smiles on as if they already won.

"And what about you, oh glorious leader?" Kelp asked as they prepared to step into their destination.

"Like you have to ask," Lyra chuckled as a dark smirk crossed Leviathan's mouth.

"Well it doesn't get much harder, than when you face the charger. Whip out my snipe, aim down the sights, and BOOM!" Leviathan jerked his weapon as if he just fired it. "Get splat a martyr," The group chuckled as they prepared to step into the light, Kelp getting the last word.

"That's what I like to hear,"

* * *

Cerata sat munching on her food as she scrolled through channels. There was some sappy soap opera on, advertisements to stores she'd never get the chance to go to, and a bunch of news reports. And honestly, she was getting tired of hearing the word 'fresh'.

But with nothing else to do, she simply continued flipping channels, barely registering anything on any she passed. One channel managed to get out the words 'Turf War' before she passed and it caught her attention. She knew of the Great Turf war, but there wouldn't be a documentary on how the Inklings stole the zapfish would there?

Turning back she noticed that there was not, and instead there were two news reporters looking down over some type of mall. The camera then zoomed in on two sets of four Inklings, one set being yellow, the other a bright pink. Was this some type of game? She might as well see how it played out.

The camera once again scanned over the two teams as a timer began to countdown from 3. Right before it hit zero, Cerata noticed something. The Inkling in the back of the yellow team had bright purple eyes, identical in fact to Leviathan. But, Leviathan had turquoise tentacles. But now that she was making comparisons, this Inkling looked exactly like Leviathan save for his tentacle color. He was even carrying the same weapon Leviathan had the night before.

She pried her eyes away from the Inkling to look at his team and sure enough, the other three, save for the one to one of the sides, held weapons she had seen his friends carry. That had to be the same Inkling. But, how? Can they just change their tentacle color at will? That's absurd. That makes no sense.

Those thoughts were disrupted as there was a bang and suddenly ink was flying everywhere. Covering the area in the two colors, the teams moved towards the center. Once they converged, the ink didn't stop. This was ridiculous. Didn't they know that that was dangerous? Was this some type of sick blood sport? These Inklings were going to kill each other over a game? As soon as she thought that, there was a cheer as a charger went off.

"Ooooh, and a beautiful snipe from Inkay! Plucked his opponent clean out of the sky!" One of the reporters shouted.

"That he did Chuck. That he did. Saved his teammate in the process as well," The camera showed the Inkling girl giving Leviathan a thumbs up, him returning it from his sniper's nest. She quickly began running forward again, swiping her brush to spread more yellow ink across the field.

"Yes, Leviathan prides himself on being a team player. He will give off a perfect location if it means keeping his teammates alive," Keeping his teammates alive? This was some type of blood sport! These Inklings were putting their life on the line all for the sake of some game! And they were celebrating! Leviathan held a bright smile as his team pushed forward, a cheerful "Booyah!" ringing every time he sniped a person who approached his teammates. These Inklings truly were creatures of war. They didn't even care about the life of their fellow squid!

"Uh oh, it seems that Zachary of the pink team has had enough of Inkay's shenanigans!" The announcer cried as an Inkling approached Leviathan's spot. Hearing the sound of an Inkling transformation, Leviathan quickly turned around to see a Kraken charging his location. Panicking and with nowhere to run, Leviathan began shooting rapid bursts at the approaching monster squid in an attempt to keep it at bay. Lacking the appropriate fire rate to do that, the Kraken approached undeterred.

Growling at his poor luck, Leviathan opted for another poor choice. He turned to a squid, falling through the grates he stood on. Determined to splat him and not completely thinking this plan through, the enemy Kraken followed falling through the grates and attempting to turn back towards the way he came.

Cerata clasped her hands over her mouth. The grate they were standing on was over water! What was he thinking?! The Kraken managed to stick itself to the wall next to the grate and attempted to climb his way back out. Leviathan on the other hand was having none of that. As quick as a flash he whipped out his snipe. The Kraken turned back into a small squid on the wall and Leviathan fired, inking the wall in a bright yellow. Unable to swim up that stream, the enemy Inkling began to fall into the water with Leviathan. They both hit the water and there was a hissing sound as they dissolved.

"Oh! And refusing to go down alone Inkay finds a way to drag his opponent down with him!" The announcer screamed out as the surrounding crowd cheered at the display. Cerata jumped to her feet. She just watched the person who promised to keep her safe die. These Inklings…These Inklings were insane! How is their population so high when this is their favorite past time?!

The camera shifted back to both of the spawn points, an angry looking Inkling emerging from the pink spawn point and a cocky looking one from the yellow. Cerata was very confused. Even more so as the yellow Inkling rubbed his hand over his tentacles like Leviathan did. Was he still…alive? How? What was this madness?! Looking closer at the other players as the camera shifted, Cerata noticed that even the Inklings that Leviathan splatted were still running around in a desperate attempt to cover ground. So, they weren't in any real danger? Well how was that possible?! That couldn't be right. Maybe it wasn't water, but something else. They would've been dead if it was water. She had a lot of question that she was going to demand Leviathan answer when he returns.

But for now, she was going to see how this played out.

* * *

"Woooomy! Today went well right guys?" Lyra called to her friends as they began to exit Booyah base.

"You said it! The only thing that would make this better would be food! In fact, to a restaurant!" Shiro called pointing his finger forward, his tentacles returned to their dark blue.

"I'm feeling pizza. Anyone else feeling like gettin' pizza?" Kelp asked looking over the group.

"I could go for some pizza. What about you Inkay? You joining us?" Lyra asked nudging her shoulder against Leviathan as they walked, his turquoise tentacles once again hanging down, and his Kelp Splatterscope resting on his shoulder.

"I guess I could go for some pizza. I'm really hungry," He said lightly nudging Lyra back. "But I probably won't stay the whole time and I'll probably get a to-go," Shiro jumped back and through his arm around Leviathan's neck.

"Aw, come on Inkaaaay. What, you got a hot date tonight or something?" Leviathan rolled his eyes at his friend.

"What's with you thinking I have a date? I'm a single guy just like you,"

"Suuuuure you are. I bet you have chicks just lining up outside your door, waiting for that special ink of yours,"

"Shiro! Gross, we're thinking about getting food here!" Lyra called out chuckling at the Inkling she called friend.

"Whatever girl. I ain't ashamed. This be man talk! Right men?" Shiro said gesturing to the other two Inklings in the group.

"I think I'd prefer to stay out of this one," Kelp laughed.

"If you are going to be gross I'll just go home," Leviathan laughed as Shiro sniffed with fake sadness.

"Ouch. It's always painful to be the misunderstood one," The entire group laughed.

* * *

Cerata was still in the living room. The Turf War program had ended and she found nothing else on the TV entertaining, so she opted to listen to the radio. The first voice she heard was the sound of the Squid Sister and she practically hissed. Changing the channel, she continued to look for decent music. Besides the first song, it all seemed…pretty good.

The original plan was just to turn on some music and lay down on the couch, but by the time she reached the couch to sit down, she found herself swaying. Her foot tapped on the ground and her head bobbed to the beat. What the heck was this? She was not the dancing type and she was fighting the urge to swing her body in ways she never had before. She tried to sit back down and just listen but resistance was futile.

She found herself dancing and swaying to the music from the little box. There was something about the vibe of the music that just made her want to move. And move she did. Her body twisted and turned as she spun around the room. She felt so free!

There was no way she could put this feeling into words, but she knew she enjoyed it. So she continued to dance. She twisted and turned with a silly grin on her face, trying to memorize the lyrics as her body absorbed their sensations.

She danced for she didn't know how long and just enjoyed the different songs that played. After a long while of dancing, she heard the sound of a key being placed in the door. She froze and stared at the entrance of the room as the sound of the door opening barely sounded over the music.

The door was closed and Leviathan stepped into the living room. He grew wide-eyed for a split second before he grew a nervous smile.

"Having fun are we?" He joked as Cerata looked down. She was just wearing the black shorts and tank top that was usually worn under her armor. But along with this she was really sweaty, and the garments clung to her body more so than usual. She also found herself panting heavily.

"Maybe," She gasped out between breaths. Leviathan chuckled and moved towards the kitchen. Cerata wiped her forehead and followed close behind.

"I brought some pizza. Hope you're hungry," Yes she was, but she had questions that needed answering.

"But first, I want to ask you something," Leviathan raised an eyebrow as he set down the plates and opened the pizza box.

"What did you do today?" Both parties were a bit confused at the statement. Cerata thought she couldn't come off as more stalkerish and Leviathan wondered why the heck she cared.

"I went to Booyah Base and did some Turf Wars with some friends?"

"And what is a Turf War?"

"It's a game,"

"A game where you kill people?!" Leviathan was taken aback by the outburst and visibly recoiled. "I knew Inklings were bad creatures but I never imagined that they would find enjoyment killing each other!"

"Alright, first off, lower your voice before you get us caught. Second, watch what you're saying before this 'bad creature' goes back on his word and leaves you to the cops!" Leviathan whisper shouted at the Octoling, offended by her words.

"How do I know you aren't lying about not turning me into the cops in the first place? You found it so easy to lie to your friend earlier!"

"I did that to keep YOU alive! You think I just go around spitting lies back and forth for no reason?!" Leviathan hissed taking an angry step towards the Octoling.

"If the tank fits!" Cerata hissed back mimicking Leviathan's step forward. Leviathan angrily pointed a finger up at the Octoling now standing directly in front of him.

"You listen and you listen good. I have been risking my _neck_ keeping you here. I bring you food, I keep others from finding out you're here, I look for you a way home. If I wanted you dead, I have plenty! Of weapons I could've been splatted you with!"

"And why haven't you? Enjoying the sensation of splatting your fellow Inklings instead? Your entire species is so…savage!"

"Where are you getting these assumptions?!" Leviathan almost screamed.

"I saw your Turf War broadcast! You Inklings are barbaric! Murdering each other for sport! It's…it's…"

"Not true!"

"You're lying again!"

"It's a game!"

"That's sick!"

"Listen, if you watched the whole broadcast, then you would have seen that I got splatted a few times myself, and I'm still alive,"

"Yeah, but-"

"But nothing! It is a harmless, game! No one gets hurt, no one dies. Everyone walks away fine," There was silence in the small room as the two stared each other down.

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"Why do you think I'm such a liar?!"

"Because that's what Inklings are! Liars and thieves that think the zapfish belong to them!"

"That's because it does!"

"You filthy liar! Octavio told us how you stole the zapfish from him!"

"Stole? Octavio is the reason we have the zapfish!"

"…what are you talking about?" Leviathan took a deep breath and gestured for Cerata to follow him. She complied but still with an angry scowl on her face. Leviathan took her to his room. Cerata would've taken the time to look around seeing as she was in here for the first time, but she had to keep up the dominating glare less she be dominated.

Leviathan dug through the drawer of his nightstand and pulled out a thick book. He began flipping pages, traces of annoyance and anger still apparent on his face.

"And what is that?" Cerata asked a bit of annoyance in her voice as well.

"A history book," Was the response she got. Leviathan turned the opened book towards her and glared.

"Read," Cerata returned her glare before snatching the book away. She broke her eyes away from his and looked down.

"The Great Turf War was a great dispute over land. Rising sea levels caused major complications between the Inklings and the Octarians. The Inklings held the majority of land while the Octarians had position of the majority of the zapfish, a creature that emits a massive amount of energy. Though the Inklings were in possession of a few, the Octarians had more, as well as the Great Zapfish, a more ancient version of the zapfish with greater power. See you guys are thieves!"

"Just read it,"Cerata scoffed before continuing.

"Though the Great Zapfish was a source of great power, the Octarians could not survive off it alone. In a desperate attempt to get some leverage after the Inkling's victory in the Great Turf War, DJ Octavio approached Captain Cuttlefish with an offer. One last one-on-one show of skill. If he won, he would take back all of the land the Octarians had lost. If he were to lose the battle…he would turn over the Great Zapfish to the Inklings…"

Cerata turned the page and there was a picture of DJ Octavio in a humanoid form swinging an Octobrush at an Inkling Cerata figured was this Captain Cuttlefish character. Octavio's opponent was swinging a different brush at him. "After Cuttlefish initially turned down the challenge in response to not wanting to put the once good friends on even worse terms, Octavio insisted that this would not be a bad decision and challenged Cuttlefish. Still honoring their previous friendship, Cuttlefish spared Octavio's life," Cerata stared at the next picture. Octavio was walking away from the group, Cuttlefish with a sullen smile on his face.

Cerata just stared. These were photographs. Therefore, things that actually happened. But…Octavio said…She continued reading. "After handing over the zapfish, Octavio returned to Octovalley. What happened upon his return is unknown, but rumors of revolt spread quickly…" Cerata just stared at the book. This had to be some sort of elaborate lie. This couldn't be true. Octavio told them that an Inkling stole the zapfish.

Cerata's head was spinning. This was too much. Her head was spinning and she was so confused. She placed the book down and began walking away.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Leviathan growled.

"I need…I need a minute…" With that, Cerata retired to the guest room.

* * *

Leviathan sat on his couch, munching on some chips and watching highlights from that day's Rainmaker sessions, hoping to see his face somewhere on one of the reels. He looked towards the clock hanging on the wall. 10:37. Cerata had been in her room for 5 hours and he hadn't heard a sound. Well, he did show her that everything she knew was a lie, even if she was being rude about it.

Regardless, he felt obliged to go check on her, making a quick stop to the kitchen first. He grabbed a slice of pizza from the box and warmed it before heading to her room. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door with his knuckles.

"Hey, can I come in?" There was no answer. He knocked again and paused. "I'm coming in," He announced. He pushed open the door to be greeted with darkness. He flipped on the lights and saw Cerata sitting in the middle of the bed, hugging a pillow with her face in it and knees to her chest.

"Hey," Leviathan whispered slowly approaching the bed. "I brought you some pizza. I know you're hungry," He didn't get an answer. He sat on the edge of the bed and placed the plate in front of her. He sat quietly, not sure how to approach a conversation at this point. She seemed extremely distressed. But he had to show her. He would put up with being called a liar in his own home. "Penny for your thoughts?" That was a stupid thing to say and the silence that followed was proof of that. What was he even thinking.

"Why?" Leviathan perked an ear as Cerata spoke into the pillow.

"Why what?"

"Why are you still trying to be nice to me?" Cerata muttered. Leviathan paused and looked away.

"I'm just a nice guy. Plus I can't just leave you in here and starve yourself,"

"But I called you such horrible things…" Leviathan chuckled and rested on his arm.

"It's fine. I've been called worse before,"

"It's not fine…All you've done is help me and help me and I return the favor by not only insulting you but your entire race,"

"I told you, it's fine. You only knew what Octavio told you,"

"But you knew the truth," Cerata called out, shooting her head up from her pillow to look at Leviathan. Leviathan flinched as her eyes were puffy and red with tears still flowing from them. "For all you knew I could've been an Octoling trying to steal the zapfish that rightfully belongs to your people. So why? Why didn't you just splat me back in the alleyway?" Leviathan thought for a second before looking away.

"I couldn't. You looked so scared and innocent…like you really needed help. What type of person would I be not to try to help you get home?"

"A smart one,"

"Well it's a good thing for you I'm nice and dumb," Leviathan chuckled as Cerata sniffed. She suddenly lunged at him, clinging to his shirt instead of the pillow and cried into it. Leviathan put his hands up not quite sure how to handle the sobbing girl.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I called you all types of names and accused you of being something you're not when I'm the horrible creature and you've been so kind to me! Everything I grew up knowing pointed to you being a liar and I was scared you were lying to me and just so stressed about never getting back to Octovalley and restless from being inactive for so long that I sort of just targeted all of my frustration to you and I-" Leviathan shushed her and patted her head.

"Hey, it's ok. It's ok. You know how you can make it up to me? Eat. Get some food in your system and stop crying," Cerata let go of Leviathan and sat back up, rubbing away tears and still sniffing.

"You really are too nice..." Leviathan responded by poking his tongue out at her, which she did as well. Cerata turned towards the pizza in front of her and picked it up taking a bite.

"There you go. There's more in the kitchen if you're still hungry," Leviathan said getting off the bed. "And…you need to shower," Cerata looked down and back up at Leviathan.

"But what will I wear afterwards?"

"Hmm…that's a good point," Leviathan said placing a finger on his chin. "Tell you what, tomorrow morning you take a shower, and while you're getting clean I'll wash your cloths," Cerata blushed and frowned at the idea.

"That's kind of embarrassing…I can't do that…"

"Well I'm not having you stink up my apartment. It's a safety hazard since Lyra has the best sense of smell I know and she shows up randomly with the others," Cerata pouted and took another bite of pizza.

"Fine," Was the sole reply.

"Good. I'll see you in the morning. Good night Cerata,"

"Good night Leviathan. And…thank you," Leviathan smiled at Cerata, giving a "You're welcome" before closing the door behind him.

 **Yet another chapter down! Wow I'm getting these things done fast. They don't seem rushed to you guys does it? I hate when a story jumps from one major point to another so fast your head spins, which is why I try to take my time with the scenes.**

 **So with this chapter, we see the angry Octoling Octameri is not highest on the sea food chain, Leviathan/Inkay hangs out with some friends and gets a few Turf Wars done while Cerata chills at his place questioning how civil the Inklings are. In all honesty I wasn't sure how to write the argument scene. But I tried to picture it this way, your life is on the line and the one person in a sea of enemies you think is kind enough to help goes around killing others for the lols and is an excellent liar, can you really trust that?**

 **I know that getting splat is like dying in this world, and Inklings do find enjoyment in having Turf Wars(and I do as well), but for a race that has Inklings in such a negative light already and don't understand the technology behind the spawning systems in the Turf Wars would just see it as barbaric fighting where you're actually killing people.**

 **Then there's the history book. Everything I put was actually based on the actually lore of the game, minus the zapfish bet between Cuttlefish and Octavio. I don't think any of the sea scrolls tell how the zapfish got into the Inkling possession, but I do know that the Inklings almost lost the Great Turf War because they couldn't be bothered to get out of bed in time and only won because of a cord coming unplugged or something like that on the Octarian side. So there's that.**

 **Wow this is getting long. Guess I should wrap it up. Next chapter Leviathan goes to meet two special people and gets a surprise for Cerata. Also Octameri will see something that gets those evil ideas flowing. Fun fact, her name is from Oct, from octopus, Meri, which means 'sea' or 'ocean' in one language and 'fierce' and 'intolerant' in another. Also 'a' because it's more feminine. So yeah, there's that.**

 **Again, I thank you all for reading and a special thank you to the reviewers. Until next time.**

 **Astalabyebye,**

 **Bang**


	4. Booyah

" _What's wrong little Inkling? It feels good right? Nice and tight. Just endure a little longer. We have to make sure everyone sees it. That's right. What a beautiful face to make…right before you die!"_

Leviathan shot up in bed, his breaths coming out deep and in rapid succession. He rubbed his hand over his face. What was that? He knew he had a nightmare, but it all came back as a kind of a blur when he tried to remember it. He caught fleeting glimpses of chains, an Octoling, and some type of…equipment. Thinking of the latter made his entire body shudder but he wasn't sure why.

But it was just a dream. And it was over now. No need to hang on it. He turned to his night stand and checked the clock. 7:42. Eeeeeeeehhh. Now is a good a time as any to get up. He stepped out of bed, throwing on his Basic Tee again and a pair of shorts to step out of his room. He opened the door and stepped into the hallway, the sound of running water going on in the bathroom. He approached and knocked.

"Cerata? You decent?"

"Yeah, I'm decent," Leviathan opened the door and stepped in. The shower was running but Cerata was fully clothed standing next to it, giving a disheartened look towards the Inkling boy. "How do I?..." Leviathan raised a confused eyebrow.

"You mean you don't know how to work a shower?" Cerata blushed madly and crossed her arms.

"I know how to work a shower! It's just…the ink is turquoise…"She said gesturing to the ink water hybrid spraying from the showerhead.

"Yeah but…it's watered down ink…can you not change colors?" Leviathan asked with legit confusion in his voice.

"Are you saying Inklings can?" Cerata responded with an equal amount of confusion.

"Well…yeah. All we need is to have our tentacles touch something and we can shift colors,"

"No way," Cerata said a look of amazement in her features. "Show me," Leviathan scratched his head nervously.

"Well…" Leviathan looked around the room and picked up a red bottle of shampoo. He squeezed a blob into his hand and rubbed the substance down his tentactles. He rubbed it in at the top of his head and, slowly but surely, the color spread all the way down his tentacles, even changing the color of his eyebrows.

"Whoa. That's cool," Cerata said wide eyed staring at the new red Leviathan.

"A lot of Inkling cloths work the same way, so that they can change colors to match yours during Turf War," Leviathan explained. "But every squid is born with a base color. If you don't continue to have contact with whatever your chosen color is, after about a day and a half it'll revert back to the base color. My base color for example is turquoise, so even without an item," Leviathan closed his eyes and his tentacles reverted back to their original color, letting out a breath of air as they finish. "We can revert them back to that color. Though it's a bit more difficult if the new color is fresh,"

"That's amazing," Cerata said in such a trance she reached out and took one of Leviathan's tentacles in her hands.

"Yeah. In times of dire stress or physical exhaustion, they revert back to their base color as well," Leviathan said a bit weirded out at Cerata's sudden interest in his limbs. "I could've sworn Octarians could do that too," Cerata continued to look down at Leviathan's tentacles.

"Nope. All purple," She responded.

"Well," Leviathan gently pulled away, Cerata letting out a huff and a pout at the tentacle slipping from her grasp. He walked to a dial between the shower and the sink surrounded by a large variety of colors. "This changes the color used for the ink in the shower and sink," He responded twisting the dial to purple. The shower groaned for a second before it started to spew a purplish liquid. Cerata clapped her hands together and smiled.

"Thanks! Well…time to get clean," She said excited for a hot shower.

"Right. I'll just…step out then…" Leviathan responded exiting the bathroom and closing it behind him. He stretched a bit and yawned. Maybe that dream took more out of him than he thought. He walked towards his bedroom to get a change of clothes.

"Um…Leviathan…" Leviathan turned to see Cerata poking her head out of the door, the biggest blush yet plastered on her face. "Um…here're my…things…" She said holding a pile of cloths through the crack on the door.

"Ah, yes, right," Leviathan said approaching the door. Cerata avoided eye contact at all cost and Leviathan, knowing that Cerata's naked form was hidden by a partially opened door grew a small blush of his own. "I'll have these done by the time you're finished," Leviathan said taking the clothes into his arms.

"T-thanks," was the response a second before the door was quickly shut. Leviathan let out a deep breath and walked away. He stepped over to the kitchen and through a door in its corner housing a small cramped room with a washer and dryer.

He placed the proper detergent in the washer and held in a small chuckle as he closed it down and returned to his room.

* * *

"What? What is it? I was sleeping,"

"Hey, did you by any chance sleep over at Inkay's house recently?"

"Whaa? Who is this? What do you mean?"

"It's me. Shiro. Did you sleep over at Inkay's house?"

"Depends. Why do you want to know?"

"For truth and justice! And a snazzy jacket. Now, did you sleep over his house or not?"

"Aaaaaah….I don't know what you're asking me,"

"What do you mean-. Look, Inkay said you slept over his house and I need to know if that was a lie or not!"

"Why would my darling little brother lie to one of his closest friends?...Yeah I slept over. I do that a lot. Now leave me alone and let me sleep. Ok? Ok. Stay fresh," A phone was slammed down and a face hit the pillow. The room was quiet until a single eye peaked out. "Interesting…"

* * *

Leviathan took the clothes from the dryer and headed out of the kitchen. He walked towards the bathroom door, the shower turned off and the room silent.

"Hey Cerata, here are your clothes. I'm going to sit them by the door okay?" Leviathan heard an 'Okay' from inside the bathroom and placed the clothes down. "I'm going to head out for a bit. Hopefully I won't be gone long,"

"Bring back some food," Leviathan gave a short chuckle.

"Will do," He said turning around and exiting his apartment. He took the elevator down, greeting his neighbors and such as he passed.

"Oh, Leviathan!" Leviathan turned to see one of his landlords approach him. He was a strong muscular Inkling with dark blue tentacles at least a head and a half taller than Leviathan. "I've been getting reports that while you're out, your room's TV or radio plays. What's up with that?" Leviathan swallowed a mouthful of spit. But he thought up a lie, and he thought it up quick.

"Oh yeah, my radio's on the fritz. It comes on and off randomly and shifts stations and everything. I'm planning to get it fixed," Leviathan said, the taller Inkling nodded slowly.

"You know, I'm an all-around mechanic myself. I can fix it for you if you want. You know the wife handles all the people problems and I handle the broke stuff,"

"Nah, it's cool. In fact I may just junk it and get one from my sister. She has a ton," Leviathan stuck his hands in his pockets, anxious to step away from the man.

"Well alright then. Sorry to disturb ya. Have a great day,"

"You too, say hi to the wife and kids for me,"

"You got it buddy," Leviathan quickly left the apartment complex and let out a sigh. It was a good thing he thought on his feet. Now that that was over, Leviathan had a place to go and a person to see. Would this adventure be exhausting? Physically no, mentally so much so. Leviathan began walking down the streets. Maybe he should super jump towards his destination. Yeah that would be faster. He turned into a squid and made sure nothing was in the way before firing himself through the air.

* * *

Octameri was stomping through the mountainous area. This was always a good place to vent. There were many things to hit and occasionally the lost Inkling she got to pound the living shit out of. But today seemed to be a desolate day. The random items around the valley brought her fists no satisfaction and there was not an Inkling in sight.

So instead she stomped forward, eyes filled with anger just waiting to be let out. She found herself standing next to a kettle. She paused. If she stepped into the kettle she could go to Octovalley…there was a bigger chance of running into an unfortunate Inkling there. She _needed_ this. Without a second thought of hesitation, she changed to her octopus form and swam through.

* * *

The super jump didn't quite cut it, so Leviathan found himself trudging through a small crowd for about 10 minutes before reaching his destination. He stepped up to the door of the house and took a deep breath. He raised his hand to the door and paused, opting to take another breath to better prepare himself before knocking. He sat patiently, and when there wasn't a response, he knocked again.

"Alright, alright I'm coming. Hold you're ink," Leviathan stepped back and waited for the door to open. When it did he gave a small smile to the owner.

"Hello," Leviathan said, his eyes holding a certain exhaustion to them already. The older Inkling smiled down at Leviathan and crossed her arms. She leaned up against the doorway, chewing on a wad of gum.

"Well well. If it isn't little Inkay." The female Inkling said. She had sea blue tentacles that gradually got darker the closer it got to the ends and her eyes were a pinkish purple and were half lidded as if she was still sleepy even though she was wide awake. She was about half a head taller than Leviathan as she crossed her legs.

"Yeah, it's me Kiara. I'm here," Leviathan eyed the older Inkling. "Unlike your decency it seems," The Inkling wore a pair of shorts that barely passed her thighs and a muscle shirt that was cut short to show all of her torso without her chest spilling over. Speaking of, Leviathan took notice that she was letting the 'girls run free' as a gentle way of putting it. "Seriously, are you ever fully dressed?"

"Only at work. Clothes are overrated anyway," She said with a smirk. "So what's up little bro? Am I supposed to invite you in or do you have business you want from me?" She asked.

"I do actually need something from you," Leviathan gave a curt nod.

"Oh yeah?" Kiara blew a bubble with her gum, sucking the air out of it before it had a chance to pop. "And what would that be?"

"I need some…" Leviathan paused for a second, trying his best to hold eye contact. "Accessories… and a little bit of makeup," He finally strained out. Kiara blew another bubble, this time letting it pop and slowly licking the substance from around her lips.

"Whaaaaaa? And what could you possibly want some of that stuff for? Don't tell me…" Kiara leaned forward, placing hands on both of Leviathan's shoulder and giving a smile that screamed sexuality. "You've finally found yourself a nice boyfriend to get all dolled up for! Tell me little bro, is he cute or is he hot? When you see him do you just want to run your tongue up his torso?" Leviathan's sister then gave an image as she extended her index finger straight up and slowly ran her tongue from the base of her finger to the tip.

"Please stop that," Leviathan said faster and a bit more fearful than he intended. His sister chuckled at his discomfort but didn't move. "And never do that again."

"Oh come on. Love wins after all, right little brother?" Kiara stood back up straight, a smirk on her face.

"Let love win somewhere else,"

"That's too bad. I always wanted a gay little brother,"

"I'm not into guys. I need the stuff for a project," Kiara chewed her gum more, eyeing Leviathan and blowing another bubble, letting it pop.

"Really now?"

"Big brooooothheeeerrr!" Leviathan and Kiara both turned towards the inside of the house just in time to see a small, fully sky blue Inkling come crashing into Leviathan, a soft squishing sound as she made contact. Leviathan wrapped an arm around the young Inkling's head and smiled.

"Hey there squirt. How are you doing today?" Leviathan asked the young Inkling.

"I'm gooooood! Are you here to play with me today Levi?" The Inkling looked up at Leviathan with bluish purple eyes as she continued to hold him by the waist.

"Not today Molly. I'm here to get something from big sis," Molly hugged Leviathan's waist tighter and looked over her shoulder with a glare at her big sister.

"She probably won't give it to you because she's a big meanie…" She whispered into Leviathan's stomach.

"What? Why would you say that about your big sister?" Leviathan said putting on a fake shocked expression.

"She wanted extra ice cream but I didn't give it to her because she brought home an F on a test,"

"An F? What are you doing bringing home an F?" Molly buried her face deeper in Leviathan's shirt.

"She thought the test was too beneath her and didn't bother filling anything in,"

"Molly!"

"But it was!" The Inkling child shrieked into Leviathan's shirt. "The answers could've been answered by newborns and the teacher expected it to be a challenge. Such questions don't deserve to be answered by me…" Leviathan crouched down to Molly's level and pried her away from his waist to look her in the eye.

"Molly, we talked about this. You have to do the work at school whether it's easy or not. You do want me to take you to do some Turf Wars when you turn fourteen right?" Molly pouted and avoided Leviathan's gaze. "Right?"

"Yes…"

"Then do your homework and your tests. Now go study," Molly held her head down and kicked a nearby pebble.

"Fine…" She suddenly wrapped her arms around Leviathan's neck in a hug. "Love you Levi!" She said with a smile as Leviathan gave an 'I love you too' before she ran back into the house.

"Smart kid," Leviathan said to Kiara as Molly ran back into the house.

"Too bad she has mom's attitude," Kiara responded turning back towards Leviathan. "But anyways, tell me about this project of yours," Leviathan shrugged.

"I just need a few materials and I figured it would be cheaper to just get some of your stash," Kiara leaned over again and used a finger to raise Leviathan's chin to look up at her.

"Cut the bullshark shit bro," Kiara said, her already lidded eyes narrowing and seeming to glow with malicious intent. "Have you forgotten I taught you everything you know about misdirection, bluffs, and lying? I can read you like a book I wrote," Leviathan remained flat faced but mentally he was cursing. Why couldn't she just make this one aspect in his life easy? "Tell you what, either tell me the truth, or I follow you back and help you with this 'project' of yours," Kiara leaned back against the doorway as Leviathan let out an annoyed groan. Looking to the side he let out an answer.

"There's…a girl who needs it…"

"You calling her ugly?"

"No! It's just…Uggggh, sis I've had a really stressful last couple a days. If you're not going to help I'll just go deal with the embarrassment of buying the stuff myself," Kiara chuckled and rubbed Leviathan's head.

"What type of big sister would I be to leave my little bro out to dry? Come in and take whatever you need," Leviathan let out a mental sigh of relief as he stepped inside.

"Thanks sis. I owe you one,"

"You owe me two. Your friend called earlier asking if I stayed over your place. I went with it as not to blow your cover. As payment, I want to see your finished 'product'," Kiara gave a smile as Leviathan groaned.

"Fine,"

* * *

It felt so good to be clean. Cerata stretched out on the couch with the radio playing, bobbing her head and tapping whatever was in range to the songs that played. Inklings had very lively music. It even the rare ones with dark or sad meanings made Cerata want to dance. But, she had just gotten clean and getting all sweaty would ruin the point.

She bobbed her head and tapped her feet to the beat as she heard the sound of keys in the doorway. She turned towards the entrance as Leviathan stepped in the living room and smile.

"Hi there," She said, Leviathan returning her smile.

"Hi,"

"You bring any food?" Leviathan scratched his head nervously.

"You see, what had happened was…" He said with a smile, Cerata's smile turning into a pout.

"But you said you would bring back food,"

"And instead, I have another surprise for you," Cerata tilted her head in response and eyed the bag in his hand. "Come to the kitchen," Cerata stood and turned the radio off, following Leviathan into the kitchen. Leviathan pulled a chair from the table and sat it in the middle of the floor.

"Sit," Cerata obliged, resting her hands on her knees as she sat with her back towards Leviathan. She sat patiently until suddenly her eyes were covered by something.

"Hey! What're you-"

"jwost wole stell," Leviathan responded with something in his mouth. The things that covered her eyes were his hands and he slowly slid them back, pulling her tentacles back with them. Cerata turned red in the face again as her breath hitched and she dug her fingers into her knees.

"W-wh-what're you doing?!" Cerata squirmed, rubbing her knees together as Leviathan took the two tentacles that hung over her face and flipped them backwards, gently curving them around the back two. She felt Leviathan tie something around the now slightly twisted limbs and she almost let out a gasp. "w-what are…"

"Hold on…almost done…" Cerata felt Leviathan shake some type of powder over her suckers that weren't hidden in the twist and she shuddered. Cerata almost lost it as his hands ran over her suckers, spreading whatever he poured on them around evenly. She found herself trying to keep from breathing heavily as Leviathan walked in front of her. He had a bright smile on his face but it fell as he crouched down and saw her face. "Are… you alright?"Cerata huffed and put on an angry face to accompany her blush.

"What was that?" She spat trying to stare down the Inkling but finding it hard to look at him directly. Leviathan flinched and raised a confused eyebrow.

"I was just styling your tentacles…"

"Well don't do that again! My tentacles are…" She almost screamed, her face turning redder and her opting to look to the side instead of Leviathan's bright purple eyes. "…sensitive," Leviathan turned a shade redder than her as he went wide-eyed.

"I am so sorry. I didn't-"

"It's cool. Just…don't do it again,"

"Well why didn't you say anything to stop me?"

"Cause I was afraid if I opened my mouth, words would not be the things to come out!" Both parties froze and turned even redder before looking away again. There was an awkward silence between the two as they both avoided looking at the other.

"Um…," Leviathan reached into the bag beside him and pulled out a small make-up kit. "You mind…closing your eyes?" Cerata playfully narrowed her eyes.

"Why? Got something else you're going to grab without permission?" Leviathan blushed more.

"Please don't do this to me…" Cerata huffed and closed her eyes as requested. She felt Leviathan's thumb press against the bridge of her nose and spread around her eyes. He continued to circle around her eyes and very gently rubbed over her eyes themselves.

"Alright, I'm done," Cerata opened her eyes and looked up at the now standing Leviathan. "Now, to the bathroom," He gestured to the bathroom and Cerata stood and began walking. She stepped into the bathroom and gasped at what she saw in the mirror. She looked like a…

"Well?" Leviathan's voice caused her to break her eyes away from the mirror.

"I look like an Inkling…" She said dumbfound. Leviathan had tied her tentacles in a way that they looked like an Inklings tentacles tied around her head and hung back in a hanging ponytail. Her eyes' purple highlights were completely covered and replaced with a black mask spread evenly. But the most amazing jump was done to her suckers. They were covered in something that made them seem a bit brighter than the rest of her tentacles and then covered with glitter, making it look like they were accessories instead of a part of her body.

"Yeah. I figured that you were getting bored just sitting here all day, so I was thinking…maybe I could take you to get something to eat. Let you choose where we ate," Cerata looked back at her reflection.

"Do you think this disguise will work?" Leviathan smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's not like Inklings and Octolings are that different. I'm sure it'll be fine," Cerata didn't quite believe that but she nodded regardless. "But first," Cerata turned towards Leviathan. "You need some cloths,"

* * *

Octameri growled to herself. She had trudged through this entire area, and there wasn't a damn thing to beat the living shit out of! Nothing! She was all about ready to storm back and round up the Octoling troops for a surprise training regimen. Right as she prepared to stop and turn around she saw a small shack in the distance.

Her mouth curled up into an evil smile as she approached. She would catch the householder off guard and have a field day on his internal organs. She practically power walked towards the place smiling the entire time before stopping. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung slack-jawed at what she saw.

She quickly jumped behind a large rock and peaked from behind it. Was this real? Was she really seeing this? She was!

"Octavio…"She whispered too herself, her smile slowly returning to her face. He was alive! And…in a snow globe…Doesn't matter. The point was their leader was alive and relatively well. She began forming an idea. Oooooh this was going to be a good idea. Even that rude punk back at base would find enjoyment from this information.

* * *

Cerata was fearful to put it lightly. It just took one wrong move or fashion catastrophe and she would get busted. She found herself practically clinging onto Leviathan as she eyed the many people eyeing her.

"I don't have a good feeling about this Leviathan…Everyone is looking at me weird," She whispered holding his sleeve like a lost child.

"Well, one reason is because you're practically glued to my back and sending out all types of vibes like you're afraid. Calm down," Cerata looked at him a bit and took a deep breath, releasing his sleeve. "Secondly, you aren't fresh. You're all stylish from the neck up but you're clothes aren't that spectacular,"

Cerata would give him that. She was wearing one of Leviathan's Basic Tees, a pair of shorts and her boots. "So we have to go get me some?"

"Yep," Cerata sighed.

"Fine. Where do we start?"

"Right here," Leviathan said gesturing to the building in front of him. Cerata looked up at the sign and tilted her head.

"Shrimp Kicks?"

"Come on. And let me do the talking," Cerata nodded and followed Leviathan in. She almost jumped as a tall shrimp turned towards them at the sound of his door opening. "Sean!"

"Yo, what up, squiddo?!" This 'sean' character said spreading his claw hands to the side and giving a smile as Leviathan approached.

"Nothing much my mantis shrimp. But listen, I need some kicks," Leviathan said coming up and fist bumping the store owner.

"A'ight squiddo. What you looking for?"

"Not for me, but my friend," Leviathan said gesturing over to Cerata. Cerata stiffened when both sets of eyes glanced back at her.

"Aw come on squiddo! She's cute and everything, I'll give her that, but she ain't fresh at all. What is she, a level 0?" Cerata furrowed her brow with a huff and crossed her arms at the crustacean. What was this level thing anyway?

"Look, I know, but she is visiting from out of town and I really want her to be her freshest for her first Splatfest,"

"Aw, kid, you're really twisting my legs here,"

"Hey, you know me! One of the freshest squids out there! Look, I'm still buying it. Just pretend it's for me,"

"But having such an un-fresh squid walking around with my merch is bad for business, kid," Cerata was getting more and more offended by this creature. Who was he to talk with that stupid jacket he was wearing?

"But hey man, she is going to be hanging with this fresh squid here," Sean tapped his claw against his crossed arms, staring at Leviathan.

"Alright squiddo. But I expect you to keep climbing that freshness ladder!"

"No problem man," Leviathan said doing a few more fist bumps.

"Just come see me when you're ready to check out," Leviathan nodded and returned to Cerata.

"Sorry about that. You see anything you like?" Cerata turned her glare from Sean and looked over the shoe store. With Leviathan on her heel the entire time, Cerata eventually settled on a pair of Black Seahorses, Purple Sea-Slugs, and a few other shoes. It wasn't until Leviathan was walking towards the checkout Cerata noticed the stack of boxes he carried. At first she thought he would be overwhelmed by the amount of money it would cost, but after it was rang up Leviathan simply whipped out his wallet and payed for it, giving Sean another fist bump as he turned to walk away.

"So…where to next?" Cerata asked Leviathan as he approached her.

"Right through there," He pointed to a door on the far wall and guided Cerata through. The door led to another store, a bit more populated than the last. A jellyfish was checking out a few other Inklings before turning towards the two new guests.

"Inkaaaaay," The jellyfish gurgled out as he approached.

"What up Jelonzo?" The jellyfish stopped in front of Leviathan and jiggled.

"Good, good. You here to the visiting? Or you here to the shopping?" Jelonzo then glanced behind Leviathan to the girl behind him, who gave a small wave and a smile. "Be the excusing me," Jelonzo stepped around Leviathan and approached Cerata.

"The apologies. Your freshness level not be enough to buy from Jelonzo," Cerata narrowed her eyes at the jellyfish. What was with these people?! Again, Leviathan stepped up to intervene.

"It's Ok Jelonzo. She's with me," Leviathan said tapping the merchant on the head. Jelonzo let out a low 'bluh' noise and looked between the two. "Come on, she's at least gotta be fresh by association right?" Jelonzo looked over the girl again and sighed.

"Make with the buying and the freshening up," Jelonzo said heading back to the checkout area.

"Thanks man! You won't regret it!" Leviathan said waving before turning back to Cerata.

"What's with all these people? They're so…stuck up…" Cerata groaned to Leviathan as he approached her.

"These are the freshest stores in all Inkopolis. So in order to keep their title as fresh, they only let people who have gotten a decent rep in Turf Wars shop here," Leviathan explained shifting the bag of shoes from one hand to the other. "Normally it takes a good week of Turf Wars to get the sourest merchandise here," Cerata just looked around and noticed a few glances and shot a glare at anyone who made eye contact with her. Her fear of being discovered was drowned out by how rude these people were.

"Go ahead. Pick whatever you want," Cerata tore her eyes away from the people and looked towards the clothes.

"…Fine,"

Cerata looked over the store, picking a variety of tops that she found either cool or adorable. Her favorite was, ironically, the Octo Tee and the little accessories that came with it, followed by anything with the Firefin logo on it. A lot of shirts and a few hoodies later, Leviathan approached the checkout.

This was really fun. Cerata found herself smiling as she stood behind Leviathan as he once again paid without a sweat. He was being awfully nice to her. Cerata's smile slowly fell to a discerning look. She wouldn't even be here long enough to where all this stuff. And she definitely couldn't wear it back could she? Regardless Leviathan bought anything she requested.

"Thanks Jelonzo!"

"Thanking you! Come again to the shopping!"

"Will do!" Leviathan turned towards Cerata with a small smile. "Well, one more shop," He gestured to the door opposite the one they entered through and Cerata nodded. She followed him through the door and looked around.

"A hat store? I don't think I should wear anything on my head…what if it messes up my disguise?" Cerata whispered into Leviathan's shoulder.

"Yeah, that's a good point. Well, we won't buy anything, but I still want to speak to Annie," Leviathan approached the checkout and was greeted by a small anemone. "Hi Annie! How's it going?" The girl jumped at Leviathan's voice before cracking a small smile.

"O-oh. Hi Leviathan…"

"Come on Annie, I told you I've been here enough for you to call me Inkay," Annie twiddled her fingers and looked down with a small blush on her face.

"Um…Ok…Inkay…"

"There we go. I'm just here to say hi. Not really shopping today,"

"Oh. Well that's really nice of you," Annie responded with a small smile. Leviathan smiled as he looked over the counter. There was a half-eaten cake sitting at the corner that looked like it had been sitting out all day. "Hey, do you have those new headphones in yet?" Leviathan asked. Annie looked down sadly and shook her head.

"No. Not yet…But we will though! It's just…I don't know when the next shipment will come in…" Leviathan nodded with a smile.

"That's cool. I'll just come by some other ti-"

"IF YOU'RE NOT BUYING ANYTHING THEN SCRAM!" Annie jumped as Leviathan narrowed his eyes and turned them upward. "YOU HEARD ME PUNK! BEAT IT BEFORE I HAVE TO BEAT YOU!" Leviathan pointed a finger at the resident of Annie's hair with a snarl.

"Listen here, Nemo. I will punt you across Booyah Base if you don't clam it!"

"PRETTY BIG TALK COMING FROM SUCH A SOUR SQUID!"

"Pretty big talk coming from such a foul looking fish!" Cerata watched the exchange in mute horror as Annie looked as if she was about to burst, shaking her little hands and trying to get a word in between the two feuding males.

"M-Moe! P-please s-stop!"

"FIGHT ME BLUE BOY! I'LL SPLAT YOU LIKE YOU'VE NEVER BEEN SPLATTED BEFORE!" Moe screamed flailing his little body in Annie's hair as Leviathan growled.

"Please! The only fight I'd get from you is the indigestion from how sour your face is!"

"MOE PLEASE STOP IT!" The shop grew silent at the outburst. In all honesty it wasn't the first time someone got into an argument with Moe and set Annie off. It was all common ground by now. Leviathan and Moe stared each other down before Moe retreated into Annie's hair.

"You ain't worth my time anyway…" Moe responded from the depths of his home. Leviathan huffed before turning his attention back to Annie.

"Sorry about that. Guess I lost my cool,"

"Or you're mind,"

"Shut up Moe!" Annie let out a deep sigh as the argument subsided and looked up to Leviathan.

"I'm sorry. I know how Moe is…Thank you for visiting me though!" Leviathan nodded as he gave a wave and walked over to Cerata, guiding her to the door to exit the building.

"What was that about?" She asked a little fearful of Leviathan's outburst.

"Oh that was just Moe. Annie's the sweetest little thing you'll find this side of anywhere, but Moe is the complete opposite. You get so pulled in by Annie's sweetness that Moe's attitude catches you off guard and brings out the worse," Cerata nodded.

"So, where too next," Leviathan paused with his bags of clothing and looked around.

"One more person to say hi to," He said walking ahead. Cerata, unsure of what to expect, followed.

 **Wow this one was long! Last chapter was the shortest story wise and this one is the longest. And honestly it still didn't contain all I wanted it to contain so it was cut shorter than its original length. So that section will start of the next chapter.**

 **So Octameri knows that Ocatavio is alive. That's not a good thing. Also we got a glimpse of Leviathan's sisters. I had fun writing Kiara's lines, I really did. Maybe I'll squeeze her in another chapter.**

 **We also got to visit Booyah Base, and let me tell you, they got some words my first time playing Splatoon. But I figured a fresh squid kid like Leviathan can get a free pass occasionally. While doing some research I found out that Crusty Sean is not actually fried, but is wearing a designer jacket. My mind is beyond blown and a little bit creeped out. It's almost like a cow dressed up in a bun. You're just asking for trouble.**

 **And if you noticed, Leviathan called Sean a Mantis Shrimp. If you don't know what a mantis shrimp is, you should look it up. Show how physically incapable humans are.**

 **But anyway, I hope you enjoyed, thank you everyone for reading and a special thank you to all those who reviewed the last chapter. Until next time.**

 **Astalabyebye,**

 **Bang**


	5. Sis Doesn't Miss

Cerata followed Leviathan and kind of felt an odd sense of Déjà vu. He led her into an alleyway and she froze at the creature she saw sitting there. "Spyke! How's it going man?"

The creature turned one green eye towards the voice and the smallest of smirks crossed his face. "Inkay. Wot's up mate?" The creature said holding up his fist for a fist bump.

"Nothing much. What about you? You look like you're running low on Super Sea Snails," Spyke chuckled lowly, running a hand over two of his five remaining sea snails, each one shivering violently at his touch.

"That I am mate, that I am. Good thing Splatfest is just a few days away ain't it? I can always expect a good haul from fresh squids like you,"

"About that. I probably won't be participating in Splatfest this time around," Spyke raised his only visible eyebrow.

"You wot mate? Wot's so important that ya opt out of sometin as big as Splatfest?" Leviathan chuckled softly and glanced over his shoulder.

"I gotta watch a friend. She's not from around these parts and this'll be her first Splatfest," Spyke leaned over to look around Leviathan to see his guest since she was all but hiding behind him.

"Babysittin' ey? Well there can be some fun in that. Music's always something to git your head bobbin'," Spyke turned his eye towards Leviathan. "Why don't ya tell ya mate ther' that I don't bite and she don't have to hide?" Leviathan chuckled and looked at Cerata, nodding his head over towards Spyke. She cautiously stepped from around Leviathan and waved.

"'Ello love. And how are you today?" Spyke responded to Cerata's wave. She avoid eye contact and responded with a soft

"I-I'm fine…how are you?..." Spyke chuckled.

"Just fine. Was hoping ya mate would be getting me some extra triple S's,"

"You will get plenty from other people," Leviathan called out. Spyke chuckled again and turned back towards Cerata.

"You look kinda familiar mate. Have I seen ya before?" Cerata quickly shook her head and stepped back behind Leviathan.

"Well anyway, we should be headed back. These bags are finally getting heavy," Leviathan said shaking the bags on his arms slightly.

"Nice speakin' to ya mate. Be sure to visit me again," Before he turned around Leviathan noticed a small plate sitting next to one of the Super Sea Snails with a small piece of cake left and smirked.

"I will. See ya Spyke," Leviathan called as he and Cerata left the alley.

"Cheers love,"

As Cerata and Leviathan exited into the center of Booyah Base, there was a loud jingle that echoed throughout the area. All Inklings instinctively looked up to the giant screen placed to the right of the plaza.

"Hold on to your tentacles!"

"It's Inkopolis News Times!" Some Inklings continued to do what they were doing while others watched intently. Cerata was confused by the sudden stop of pretty much every Inkling present, but turned her eyes towards what had everyone's attention. There were two squids on a giant screen. One looked overly excited to be where she was but the other looked like she was only smiling because she was told to. The first spoke first after a small transition over the screen.

"We have some important news to share with all of you!"

"Oooooh, what is it?" The screen behind the two flashed into a picture labeled Pirates vs. Ninjas. Cerata read the title and looked over the picture

"Based on information from…up high…," All eyes that averted from the screen now returned as Callie's voice lowered sadly.

"Please no…" Marie's voice whispered just as sadly.

"This Splatfest …will be…" Everyone held their breath as the entire plaza went silent.

"Oh noooooo," Callie suddenly threw her fist in the air with a large smile on her face.

"Moved up!" Everyone almost fell over as Marie facepalmed on the screen.

"Don't scare us like that!" Marie scolded as Callie giggled.

"Sorry folks. But it's our duty to inform you that the Splatfest has been moved up from four days to two days,"

"Neat. So I get to sleep two more times before Splatfest," Marie said giving her signature smirk to the camera.

"Then sleep for the entire day after like you always do,"

"You know me so well," Callie chuckled softly and shook her head.

"Anyway, that's all the news we have for you folks. Until next time…" Callie and Marie both did a small hop and struck a pose.

"Staaaaay fresh!" With that, the screen went back to commercials and everyone went back to what they were doing.

"Huh. Neat," Leviathan muttered out loud prying his eyes from the screen and beginning his scroll back to his apartment. Cerata looked at the screen again before following his lead, gently tapping his shoulder.

"Um…What exactly does that mean exactly?" Leviathan looked over his shoulder and gave the disguised Octoling a small smile.

"That means you get to go home earlier," Cerata lit up and almost shouted for joy but held the urge back. It would be insane to bring attention to them now. As if the mountains of bags that Leviathan was carrying didn't bring attention. They continued walking forward and Leviathan looked up in thought. "We're going to have to go somewhere else after we set all these clothes down. So when we get back just change into something you like and we'll leave," Cerata furrowed her brow and pouted a bit.

"But we still haven't eaten yet! You promised you would bring me something to eat and instead you brought makeup," Leviathan chuckled.

"I promise we'll get something after we set these down and head off to our next destination," Cerata took a few quicker steps so that she was now beside him instead of behind.

"Um…pinky promise?" Leviathan turned to look at her with a hint of surprise in his features. He knew that a pinky promise was just a little childish gesture, but the look of determination on Cerata's face made it seem like he was placing his life on the line. He smiled and fought his pinky out of the plastic wrappings of the bags and connected it with hers.

"Pinky promise,"

* * *

Octameri was positively giddy as she walked through an Octarian base. Other inhabitants quickly cowered in fear at her smiling face. They all knew Octameri in a good mood was much more terrifying than Octameri in a bad one. In a bad one, at least whatever horror done would be over quickly. Heavens forbid you get caught when she's in a good mood less your pain is stretched.

She approached the same door as before and knocked on it happily. There was a slight rustle and groan from behind it before the voice spoke up.

"What?" Octameri's smile widened as her voice came out as sweet as possible.

"It's meeeee," There was another groan and the voice seemed to move further away from the door.

"Go away," Octameri only chuckled.

"You really want me to go away?" She barely had time to get the sentence out before an annoyed "yes" rang through the door. "That's too bad. I have some information that I know you'll just looove," The voice scoffed.

"And what could you have that I could possibly wish to know?"

"The location of your favorite Octarian perhaps?" Silence. Octameri waited. And waited. And waited. Her smile faltered a bit at the amount of time she waited. It regained its luster when the voice returned, this time directly on the other side of the door.

"You know where Octavio is?" Octameri let out a chuckle.

"Eeeeyup. Those _filthy_ Inklings have him!" The door opened slightly, a single red eye glowing through the crack from the dark room.

"Really now?..."

"Yep. In an overgrown snow globe no less! But he's alive! We can go get him! The revolution is still here!" Octameri's fists were squeezed together in excitement. She couldn't wait to get this lazy ass off his lazy ass. This ought to be just enough to kick him into gear.

"Leave me be," The door closed and Octameri's jaw dropped at the slamming sound. She paused for a second before she let out a confused and angry "What?!" She prepared to bang on the door when the voice spoke again. "I need to make preparations. As do you. Prepare the troops," Octameri's smile widened again. She knocked her knuckles together in excitement as her eyes twinkled under her mask.

"Which ones? The grunts? Kelp forces 104? Kelp forces 233? Or maybe AKF?!" There was silence again before the door was swung open as Octameri was about to burst with anticipation. She flinched and stepped back at the ferocity of the two red eyes that glared down at her.

"All of them,"

* * *

Cerata happily chewed on another hotdogfish as she followed Leviathan. They were in a much less populated area than earlier and she was completely OK with that. She had changed into an Octo Tee with a black skirt with purple edges to match her tentacles and accessories. She also had on a pair of what Leviathan had simply dubbed "school shoes" and stockings that stopped just below her skirt.

She let her mind go back to the face Leviathan made when she stepped out of her door and giggled, taking another bite of her food. Leviathan led her up the stairs to a building and he let out a sigh.

"The plan isn't to stay here that long but…Here's to hoping…" He gently knocked on the door and waited.

"Molly! See's who's at the door!" A voice yelled from deeper inside the house. There was a cheerful "OK!" Before little feet scurried towards the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's me Molly. Open up," Leviathan called. There was a lock clicking then a child latched itself onto Leviathan. Cerata was taken aback from the sudden lunge but Leviathan simply let out a small "oomph," before picking the young Inkling up.

"You're visiting a lot today Levi," Leviathan chuckled and began walking in the house.

"I guess I am huh?" Leviathan gestured for Cerata to follow him in, so she did, closing and locking the door behind her. Molly hadn't noticed the other guest until she heard the door close. She peeked over Leviathan's shoulder and tilted her head.

"Who is she?" She questioned as Leviathan turned fully towards Cerata.

"This is a friend of mine. Cerata, this is my little sister Molly. Molly, this is Cereta," Molly turned more towards Leviathan and only peeked at Cerata over her shoulder.

"Hi…" She was so cute! Cerata felt like she was going to explode over how adorable this little girl was. She smiled and stepped closer, leaning over to be eye level with the girl.

"Hi cutey," Cerata said smiling brightly as Molly blushed a dark blue. The young Inkling waved timidly at the stranger.

"Molly! Who was it?" Another voice called from upstairs.

"It's me sis. I brought the…project," He said setting Molly down who quickly took his hand in hers, still eyeing Cerata.

"Oh goody. I'll be right down," There were a few rustles before the sound of feet traveled down the stairs. Kiara descended them, still barely clad like she was earlier that day. She reached the bottom and her eyes scanned over Leviathan but locked onto Cerata. The two stared at each other for a moment.

Cerata held her breath. She was suddenly really self-conscious. Did all Inklings mature this way? Well obviously not from the two on the screen earlier and a few she saw at Booyah Base but damn. She felt a whole lot less endowed because of this chick.

"Kiara? This is Cerata. Cerata, this is my big sister Kiara," Leviathan introduced. Kiara put on a smirk as Cerata approached to offer a handshake.

"It's nice to meet you," Cerata muttered as she extended her hand to the Inkling woman. She was gifted with a "mmhmm" a smirk and a sense of being torn apart in several different ways. Eventually her hand was shook and she quickly retreated to the opposite side of Leviathan.

"Inkay, can I speak with you for a minute?" Kiara said a devious smirk on her face. Leviathan raised an eyebrow but shrugged his shoulder.

"Sure," He let go of Molly's hand and moved towards his older sibling. "You two play nice," He said as he followed Kiara to the kitchen. Molly looked at Cerata and vice versa.

"Sooooooo," Molly started taking a step closer to Cerata, a sneaky grin on her face. "You gonna be my new sister?" Kiara grew wide eyed.

Meanwhile Leviathan leaned against the counter waiting for all the suggestive jokes and innuendos his sister would throw at him. Instead she walked up to him, paused in front of him with her arms crossed, and stared. The dark look in her eyes creeped Leviathan out a bit but he said nothing on the matter.

Kiara suddenly stretched, her arm reaching behind her head as she groaned from the pleasant feeling of her muscles extending. Her hand suddenly came down like a rocket, slapping Leviathan so hard his head jerked to the side. He turned back towards her with his hand on his cheek and a face full of annoyance and confusion. He was staring back at a face of anger and disappointment.

"What the fuck?!" Both siblings whispered yelled at the same time.

"What the hell was that for?!" Leviathan asked rubbing his sore cheek.

"Why the hell is your project an Octoling?!" Leviathan's eyes widened. Of freaking course his sister saw through the disguise. Of freaking course. She never let anything he did pass her.

"How did you-"

"Are you stupid?! Are you legitimately stupid?!"

"No, I-"

"Then what, have you lost your mind?! Why would you bring an Octoling, anywhere near here?!"

"I didn't bring her here! She needed a way back and all the ways to Octovalley were destroyed!"

"And you believed that shit?!"

"Look sis, she was scared and needed help. I couldn't just walk away from her," Leviathan crossed his arms and met Kiara's glare with one of his own.

"And what would you do if she splatted you huh? What will you do when she finds you with your fucking dick in your hand?!"

"Ok, firstly," Leviathan stated raising a finger and closing his eyes to try to erase the mental image placed in his head. "There are much better metaphors to use then what you just said,"

"Apparently not because you were obviously thinking with your dick when you took her in,"

"Secondly she has had plenty of time to try and splat me," Kiara narrowed her eyes and glared silently at the younger male.

"How long?" Leviathan paused and looked away, preparing for the shitstorm to continue.

"About two days…"

"Two days?!" Kiara almost screamed. "You've been visiting and protecting an illegal enemy of our society for two days?!"

"Technically she's been staying at my apartment…" Kiara stared blankly at her brother before pacing around the kitchen rubbing her face.

"Oh my god…you have gone insane…wh-…what are you expecting to accomplish by doing this?" Kiara said placing her hands together and slowly shaking them as if praying for a reasonable answer. Her face had turned from absolutely livid to fearful and confused. Leviathan couldn't stand such a foreign look on his sibling's face and turned away.

"I'm not sure. I just…" Leviathan ran a hand over his tentacles and let out a sigh. "I just knew I had to help her. We've already survived two days. We just have two more days before Splatfest then the grates to Octovally will be opened and she'll be out of our metaphorical hair," Kiara turned away from Leviathan, a hand covering her mouth as so many emotions swam through her eyes. Leviathan let the two sit in silence before he finally faced her and noticed she hadn't moved in a while. "Kiara?"

"Why?" She snapped turning towards him, her eyes a bit blurry as she was stuck between a glare and a sad face. "Why? Why for once in your god damn life can't you act more like mom over dad?" Leviathan's shoulders dropped and his eyes followed them down to the floor. "For once in your life think of yourself over everyone else," Kiara bent down trying to get her brother to look at her as he averted his eyes to the side.

"You know dad wouldn't want that…" Leviathan whispered. Kiara grabbed both sides of Leviathan's head and forced him to look at her.

"If you won't be selfish then do it for us. Stop placing your life on the line for every passing face. You've always put yourself in danger for no real reason. What about Molly? What about me? Do you not care what'll happen to us if we lost you like we lost dad?" Leviathan looked directly into Kiara's eyes and seeing all the fear and vulnerability in his usually strong and in control sister made his eyes water.

"Dad…died a hero…" Leviathan whispered more to himself than his sister.

"But he still died!" Kiara snapped gently shaking her brother. "He left us alone and afraid and…" Kiara held her head down, her hands shaking on Leviathan's shoulders. "Mom got worse and worse until she died too…" Leviathan's fists tightened at his sides. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes and he fought to hold them in. Now was not the time to cry. He tried to take a deep breath to calm his mind but it came out shaky, instead reminding him how close he was to breaking down.

"Dad would-"

"Please Leviathan," Kiara's voice steadied only slightly as she stared at Leviathan. "I know I act like I'm in control of everything and that I can take care of whatever comes at me, but when mom died...you were the one who took charge. You were the one who gave me the kick in the ass I needed to get my shit together. You pulled me up from the lowest I've ever been. If not for me, then for Molly. She values you above everything else. You were her caretaker, and her best friend. She never got to know her parents, but you filled the void the best anyone could possibly do. I wouldn't think you would do something so reckless. You know you could get arrested from housing an Octoling right? You know there is a chance you could _die_ dealing with them right? Please…you can't save everyone, so don't leave us behind trying to play the hero. We still need you,

Leviathan swallowed all the emotions flowing through him and forced a smile for his sister. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to come out of this fine. Just continuing dad's legacy in a way he'd be proud of…" Kiara pulled Leviathan in a tight hug.

"Please…just be careful," she said. Leviathan's eyes widened a bit. It sounded like she was crying. He hadn't seen her crying in over a decade. He tried to lean back to actually see if she was really crying but she simply held him tighter, keeping him looking over her shoulder than at her. Leviathan simply complied and hugged her back.

"Of course. I still have people who need me," Kiara held on to him tighter and just sat there for a moment. After a while, she pulled away, her face returning to the relaxed visage from earlier. Leviathan studied her face in an attempt to see any tear stains but found nothing.

"I don't agree with you doing this, but…I guess I'll trust your opinion. You've proved to know better than me before. I won't kick her out, but I won't let her back in…Just make sure those people don't lose you," Leviathan gave his sister a smile and she returned it. It had been awhile since they had a real emotional talk and it was…relieving. Kiara placed a hand on Leviathan's shoulder and gave it a small squeeze.

"They won't," Kiara then chuckled.

"Alright then. Now let's go check on your girlfriend," Leviathan's smile drop and his eyes drooped while Kiara's turned into a smirk and the lazy look she wore earlier.

"She's not my-"

"Whatever bro,"

* * *

"Alright sea slugs! Get your asses in gear!" Octameri yelled towards the Octarians running around the floor. She stood on a high pedestal and watched with an entertaining grin as the Octarains fought each other. "Shoot like you mean it! Go for the kill! Be thankful you have this time for training! If it were up to me, we'd be storming Inkopolis right now! But boss said to just prep you, and I'm not taking any weaklings to war!"

The Octarians were in a small warzone of their own. Ink flew in all directions as they fired their weapons. Punches and kicks were thrown around as well as the swings of weapons. The Octarians fought like they were out to kill, though since everyone was using the same color ink, no serious injuries were given. Besides a few bruises and mild cases of blunt force trauma.

But the Octarians had a special ink bath that would heal any minor injuries so they could risk such violent training sessions. They would need those later as there were no pulled punches under Octameri's watch.

"No holding back! If I catch you slacking I will jump down there and teach you how to fight myself!" Any onlookers would have sworn that the activity doubled at the threat as seemingly more ink flew and the room grew louder. Octameri grew a wide smile as she watched the battle go on.

"Meri," The Octoling looked at her bracelet. She had honestly forgotten she wore her communicator. She was barely ever called for anything seeing as how she seemed to be the only one to get shit done around here. She looked down at the screen and lit up. Two red eyes looked back at her as a low voice echoed from her bracelet. "Are you readying the troops?" Octameri chuckled and smiled.

"They're doing a battle simulation. Are you wanting to move out? I'm ready to move out if you-"

"We won't be moving out for a few days," Octameri's shoulders dropped in disappointed as she stared at the glowing eyes.

"What? And why not?" Her voice displayed how put off she was at the information and she placed an annoyed fist on her hip. Not that the person she was talking to could see her do it.

"Because, I'm not as impatient as you. We are going to war Meri. We will be charging into Inkling territory, and taking back what is ours. We can't afford to mess this up. So we have to be careful," Octameri gave an agreeing sigh before looking away.

"Very well,"

"Don't look so down Meri. There's a special mission that you are going to go on," Meri perked up again and returned her attention to her watch.

"Go on,"

"I want Octavio to lead the charge, so of course he has to be rescued first. And I don't expect the Inklings to simply hand him over. So who do you think will be sent to retrieve him?" Octameri grew another smile. "I'm not going to go into details yet, but I'm going to need you," Octameri's smile grew even wider. "To take care of him," Octameri chuckled.

"Oh I better not miss a damn thing,"

* * *

Leviathan and Cerata sat in Leviathan's living room watching TV. They ended up staying over Leviathan's siblings' house longer than planned but no one seemed to mind. Cerata noticed that Kiara eyed her very strangely every now and then but a quick glance over to her brother and she stopped.

Molly on the other hand, only took her attention off Cerata to give it to Leviathan. Though the questions she asked were embarrassing and verged on the too personal, she enjoyed the little girl's presence. But now it was only her and Leviathan and it was much quieter than his sisters' house.

They simply had dinner and chatted a bit. Nothing much but it killed time before they stared at the TV. Leviathan let out a yawn and stretched after a few shows. He looked at the clock and saw that it was pretty late and stood up to stretch.

"I'm going to go to bed. You staying up?" Leviathan was wearing a basic tee and green sleeping pants with little squids on them. Cerata sat on the couch opposite of him holding on to a throw pillow in her Octoling top and bottom. Her tentacles were in their usual fashion as she had showered and washed off all the make-up her disguise required for the night.

"Yeah. I want to see how this ends," Leviathan nodded and stretched again.

"Just be sure to turn off the TV when you're done," Cerata nodded and turned her head back towards the TV. "Good night Cerata,"

"Good night. Oh, and Leviathan?" Leviathan paused and looked over his shoulder. "I really had fun today. I just want to thank you for everything," She held the pillow tighter. "I actually never have been as…happy, or had as much fun as I did with you and your sisters today so…thank you," Leviathan smiled at her.

"Don't mention it. If you want we can go out for breakfast tomorrow morning. I know this place," Cerata nodded and smiled at him.

"Anyway, goodnight,"

"Night Cerata," Leviathan retired to his room to sleep while Cerata continued to watch her show.

* * *

 **And we have a new winner for the shortest chapter of this story. In all honesty, I personally don't like this chapter. I felt like it was missing...something...besides a reasonable upload time. Aw well. Can't expect to be able to upload daily when college is kicking your ass. I'm going to be honest with ya, I sort of lost interest in this chapter. Not the story mind you, the chapter. It's always fun writing the beginning and the end but the middle tends to be where people fizzle out. And I am honestly running on the fumes of the damned right now because of school so please bear with any errors of any kind you find.**

 **Anywho, I want to encourage you all to find the shipping I hinted at in this chapter. Of course you need a small paragraph from the previous chapter to make 1 plus 1 equal 2, but you still need to squint reaaaaaally hard and turn your head a certain way to see it. Have fun with that.**

 **I would also like some opinions on the conflict scene between Leviathan and his sister. Did it seem out of place? I wanted her to realize Cerata was an Octoling and have it seem she was more mad about Leviathan risking his life for a complete stranger than Cerata actually being an Octoling. She's just a fragile girl who doesn't want to lose any more loved ones.**

 **Also the Octarians are plotting a full scale war. Oh where's agent three when you need him? He's probably better off where ever he is with Octameri on his trail.**

 **If everything goes as planned the next chapter will feature the splatfest and will probably be really long. So you have that to look forward to.**

 **And with that another chapter settles down for a close. I thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed, and a very special thank you for those who reviewed. I honestly went and read the reviews again and again to motivate me so I would get off my lazy ass and write instead of, oh I don't know...*looks over to the clock that says 1 A.M. on my nightstand* sleep. But I enjoy writing and I hate when I find a good story that seems to never update so I apologize greatly for keeping you waiting.**

 **Oh, and um, Splattifying Agent 2. Ya see, the answer to your question is quite simple really. In order to work on your fanfic without plagiarizing mine you simply have to,**

 **Git Gud**

 **I tease. I joke. Hugs and kisses for all. What? Too weird? Aw ok...Well until next time.**

 **Astalabyebye,**

 **Bang**


	6. All Right

Cerata's eyes slowly fluttered opened. She stretched her limbs getting all the cricks out of her muscles and sat up. She felt really good. Like she was floating. She remembered she had a dream but not exactly what it was about. Whatever it was it had her walking on sunshine and caught her curiosity. She plopped back down on her pillow and cleared her mind trying to remember the dream.

She remembered little…somethings. It wasn't anything complicated or fancy, but just a simple dream that had her subconsciously smiling. What could it have possibly been about? She thought on the subject a bit longer before giving and pulling herself from the bed again. Perhaps it would come to her again later.

She looked at the small clock on the wall and read 7:21. Honestly she slept in today. She usually always got up no later than 6. Early morning awakenings were drilled into her head at training so they were kind of habits. She threw her legs over the bed and stood up. She stepped over to the closet and pulled out something to wear for the day. She grabbed a shirt, some pants, and her undergarments and stepped out into the hallway. As she left the confines of the room she heard Leviathan talking in the living room. Curious, she tiptoed down the hall and stood by the entrance.

"So that's why it was moved up huh? … Yeah I guess that's a possibility …. No I don't know anything about that. … Come on. You know I'm always ready for action. … Ok. Call me if you find out anything. …Stay fresh," Cerata prepared to poke her head around the corner but instead Leviathan walked around it. Both parties jumped at the body suddenly in front of them but recovered quickly.

"Well good morning," Leviathan said with a raised eyebrow and a smirk that said he was holding back a laugh.

"Oh! Um..good morning…Leviathan…" Cerata responded blushing at once again being caught. "So…who was that?" She said not quite grasping how creeper-ish the question was in time.

"A friend of mine. She was just calling to tell me something," For some reason the sunshine Cerata was walking on got a little more intangible.

"Oh? Do you always get calls so early in the morning?" Cerata playfully asked for reasons she didn't know why.

"Very rarely. Inklings aren't really morning people so the vast majority of them are still knocked out at this hour,"

"So your entire race is a group of lazy bones?" Cerata continued.

"Sad but true," Cerata let out a breath. She honestly felt like she was going to offend him with the comment but was very relieved he continued the joke. "So do you where those to bed or?..." Leviathan gestured to Cerata's Octoling under shirt and shorts. Cerata looked down before returning her sights to Leviathan.

"Well, yeah. They're really comfortable and if we need to hurry and get up we can just attach the plating and we're ready for battle," The answer came out nonchalantly but she suddenly thought Leviathan was judging her for it. "Is that weird?" Leviathan quickly shook his head.

"No it's cool. You're always prepared," He stated. He brought a mug of something up to his mouth that Cerata had somehow overlook and took a small sip of the contents. Cerata took a small inhale of the scent wafting from it. Coffee. Packed with so many creamers. "If you need to wash again just let me know," Leviathan said taking another sip of his coffee. Cerata placed her free hand on her hip and gave a smirk.

"I can wash my own clothes you know. I'm not a child,"

"Really now?" Leviathan responded with a smirk of his own.

"Really. I'm a strong, independent Octo woman who don't need no man," She said quoting something from a show she watched and wagging her finger. Leviathan brought his mug up to his lips again and looked away with a smug look on his face.

"Who still wears bright pink panties with zapfish on them…" He whispered into his mug.

"WHAT?!"

"Nothing…"

"YOU SAW THOSE?! WHEN!? HOW?!"

"You forget I did you laundry before," Cerata was now standing up straight, her entire face flushed a deep shade of purple.

"You perv!" She screeched.

"It's not like I did anything with em. I simply put them from my hand, to the washer, and from the washer to the dryer,"

"Oh my god this is embarrassing…" Cerata muttered now avoiding eye contact with Leviathan. He chuckled at her reaction.

"Don't be. They were cute,"

"OHMYGOD! I'M TAKING A SHOWER!" Cerata quickly turned on her heels and power walked towards the bathroom. Leviathan watched her retreating figure with a laugh and took another sip when she slammed the door to the bathroom.

"I don't get why girls get embarrassed over this kinda stuff. I mean they're a just like swim suits and girls flaunt those around all the time," Leviathan muttered to himself as he approached his room. His mouth stretched open in a yawn as he closed the door behind him. In the fun of teasing he forgot to ask Cerata where she wanted to get breakfast. Oh well. He'd ask her when she came out.

* * *

Fingers rapidly tapped on a key board. The screen before their owner flashed bright colors in rapid succession to the inputs. The more interesting thing was the machine working twice as hard on the other side of the monitor. Sparks jumped from place to place as something was being assembled. Bright red eyes glared at the screen. So far away. Nowhere near finished. The fingers tapped faster as the beat of the speakers on all corners of the room pulsed with a low, energetic tone.

"Why hello there," The fingers came to an abrupt stop, the machine finishing the last few inputs before coming to a stop as well. The figure said nothing but the red eyes closed as an annoyed groan hummed through the room.

"Gooooo, awaaaay," The figure groaned with its eyes still firmly held shut. The first voice chuckled lowly, somehow being clear even over the loud speakers and the steady hum of machinery.

"I don't have anywhere to go. I never left. And I'm waiting for you,"

"That makes no sense," the figure hissed out, the fingers clawing at the keyboard in rage and frustration.

"You know exactly how much sense that makes. You can't get rid of me, so you're going to go find me,"

"I have my reasons. And I have no time for this nonsense again. Leave me be," The figure returned to its feverish typing, the machine humming a bit louder before beginning to work again.

"Is it because you love me? Or is it because you fear me?" The figure slammed both hands on either side of the keyboard. They weren't enraged or stupid enough to slam their fists on the keyboard but fists had to be slammed.

"Leave. Me. Be," Silence. Every sound came to a pause save for the beating of the speakers. Soon a soft snapping echoed through the room. The figure growling as the voice made itself known again.

"This is a nice beat. You have great taste in music," It said snapping to the beat of the sound. "Makes me want to sing,"

"Don't…"

"It's been years, I've been alone in here. I've forgotten what it's like for me to, smell your fear. Am I, driving you insane? Am I, eating at your brain?" The voice got closer, whispering in the figure's ear as it kept its eyes firmly shut.

"No happy endings will ever find you. Your heavy breathing and pain will all end soon. You're picking up the pieces to the ghost that will haunt you too," The figure's eyes were still firmly shut but it could feel the tentacle on its shoulder. The item fanning the air brought a disgusting taste to the figure's mouth and a frown to its face.

The door was flung open as light poured in. The figure hissed at another voice tainting his ears.

"I have the items you requested," An Octarian stated with a kart of various machine pieces and gadgets.

"Good. Now leave," The Octarian tilted its tentacle to the side. The boss was always a sort of reclusive person, but its voice never quavered like it just did. The Octarian glanced around the room to see if there was something in here that could've upset boss already but saw nothing and no one.

"Um…Of course-"

"LEAVE!" The figure turned towards the Octarian and roared. Bright red eyes flashing as the Octarian fell back in fear, scooting desperately towards the door. He righted himself and sprinted to the door. By the time he reached it and turned to close it behind him, the figure was standing in the doorway. Red eyes glared down angrily at the cowering Octarian before slamming the door with a growl.

The Octarian simply stared at the closed door in a frozen fear. This job was simply not worth the nightmares.

* * *

Leviathan opened the door to his apartment and walked in, Cerata following him in soon after. Leviathan had a bag labeled McSquidles that held an assortment of goodies that Cerata couldn't wait to sink her teeth into. I mean two pancake buns with a sausage in between? These Inklings had to be geniuses! Leviathan walked into the kitchen and placed the bag down and took a seat, Cerata taking the seat opposite to him.

Leviathan reached into the bag and pulled out a sandwich before scooting the bag closer to Cerata so that she could do the same. Leviathan had bought six of the things So that she and he could split them evenly. Cerata eagerly unwrapped her first one and took a bite, a satisfied moan sounding through her lips.

"There's syrup in the buns!" She squealed as Leviathan chuckled.

"That there is," He took a bite of his, but a lot more calmly than the Octoling across from him.

"You didn't tell me there was syrup in the buns!"

"I thought that would be a nice surprise," Cerata took another bite, covering her mouth so she could speak without the contents of her mouth showing.

"It is a wonderful surprise! This is so good!" Leviathan chuckled again.

"So I take it you're enjoying it?" Cerata nodded furiously and took another bite.

"I feel like this is the best thing I have ever tasted," She put her hand down and swallowed. "And it's surprisingly filling!" Leviathan smirked, balling up his now empty wrapper and pulling another sandwich from the bag.

"I mean if you can't finish your share I'll gladly finish it off for you," Cerata's eyes furrowed as she stared at him for a second.

"Only if you don't want your hand anymore," She followed the statement by exaggeratedly biting into the remainder of her first sandwich and ripping it off, slowly chewing with the same look on her face. Leviathan full-out laughed causing Cerata to giggle softly afterwards.

Leviathan was halfway through his second when Cerata reached in for hers. He stretched and leaned back in his chair as he and Cerata continued chatting and just enjoying each other's company. Finishing his second sandwich, Leviathan gestured to the living room.

"You wanna watch TV while we eat? We have about two days to kill before I can get you back home," Cerata swallowed the contents of her mouth before nodding, scooting back and stretching herself. Leviathan stood and took his last sandwich and placed it in the refrigerator, gaining a smirk and a raised eyebrow from Cerata.

"What?" He asked as he walked towards the doorway.

"What's wrong? Can't finish your sandwich little man?" Leviathan scoffed.

"So you can?" Cerata chuckled and finished off her second before pulling her last out of the bag unwrapping it. Leviathan chuckled as he headed towards the living room. "Suit yourself," Cerata followed him and sat on the couch as Leviathan went to turn on the TV.

"On second thought," Cerata declared causing Leviathan to pause at the TV. "I want to listen to some music," Cerata stood up and walked over to the radio turning it on. _Well isn't she getting comfy?_ Leviathan thought to himself with a smirk. Cerata turned the station until she found a song that caught her attention and smiled. "You know, I used to hate Inkling music. I don't know why but it made me really angry. But ever since I got stuck here I've grown a liking to it,"

"Yeah, we have some pretty awesome music," Leviathan said taking a seat on a chair to the side of the room. Cerata began shaking her body and moving her shoulder to the tune of the music. Leviathan watched with amusement as Cerata seemed to forget all about her sandwich and just danced around the small space of the living room. She seemed to be in a world of her own. Until she looked over to him and locked eyes. She bounced over to him and grabbed him by the wrist.

"Dance with me," Leviathan went wide eyed and quickly shook his head.

"No way, I don't dance,"

"I say you can,"

"Not a chance. No," Cerata stood up with a frown and wiggled her hips a bit.

"If I can do this, then you can do that,"

"But I, don't, dance,"

"What's the matter? Got two left feet?"

"No, no, no. You miss understand me. When someone has two left feet, it means they dance poorly. I have no left feet. I don't dance at all," Cerata leaned forward, placing a hand on both sides of the chair he sat in trapping him in.

"Come on, just this once. Just for this one song that's already halfway over," Leviathan groaned and looked away. He looked back and Cerata had her green eyes looking at him sadly, a large pout on her face.

"Fiiiiine," Cerata lit up and stood up straight, a small "yes!" Escaping her lips. She quickly turned around and began pushing the small table in the middle of the room.

"And who gave you permission to rearrange my living room?" Leviathan asked jokingly.

"You did when you agreed to dance. We need more room!" She pushed the table to the area in front of the TV and dragged Leviathan from his seat. "Come on the song is almost over!" Leviathan trudged over to the center of the room with Cerata pulling him.

 _Splash every color and spray in every shading._

 _Assault their senses with the art that you're persuading._

 _You won't believe that your job is almost over._

 _It's kind of sad that it could have been much longer._

Cerata began shaking her hips and pulling at Leviathan's hands in an attempt for him to move like her. It took a few lines, but Cerata finally got Leviathan to move his legs. A little off beat but they were moving. Cerata smiled wildly while Leviathan tried his best to hide his. By the time of the final chorus Leviathan and Cerata were spinning and twirling around the room, laughing at the movements and expressions of the other.

 _Your drawings look like heaven to me._

 _Such piece of art makes a lovely gift to see._

 _I hope one day we will share memories._

 _You paint the world and I'll play my melodies._

"See? You do have two left feet!"

"Shut up!" Mid-laugh Leviathan's feet caught on to each other and he stumbled. He crashed directly into his dance partner who let out a surprised yelp. The two went crashing to the ground where the table would've been if Cerata didn't have the sense to move it. Both groaning from the impact, they sat up.

"Smooth move Dance King," Cerata joked rubbing her head.

"Quiet. You were the one who made me dance. If you're such a strong, independent Octo woman you would've caught me," He joked back. He stood up with a smirk on his face and offered Cerata a hand. She looked up from the ground with a "Really?" expression on her.

"Oh, you think so huh?" She responded while Leviathan's smirk turned into a full blown smile.

"Yep," Cerata playfully glared at him before reaching up to take his hand. When he pulled back in order to pull her off the ground, she jumped forward, causing him to stumble backwards from the lack of a counter weight. She placed a foot behind the leg opposite to the one he attempted to pull her up with and pushed with the arm he held, causing him to fall to the ground. She quickly landed on him, holding his arms out to the sides of him while he looked up in shock.

"Pinned ya," She said cockily before Leviathan glared at her. "How's that for a strong Octo woman?"

"That was a cheap move and you know it," He said while she chuckled.

"Whatever kisses the boo-boo on your pride little man,"

"Just let me up," He said prying his arms free from her grip and pushing her away at the shoulder. She complied with a smirk of victory and turned to change the radio. She wasn't really feeling this next song. It was too slow. With her back to him, Leviathan saw an opportunity for revenge. He lunged at her from the ground in an attempt to pin her like she did him.

He may have held back considering he didn't want to hurt her, but that may have been the reason what happened, happened. As soon as one of his hands touched her shoulder, Cerata grabbed it, and with a twirl of her body, pulled Leviathan from behind her and threw him back first to the ground in front of her where she was going to land.

She continued her spin so that she was facing him now and continued forward, landing on his stomach and pinning his wrists to either side of his head. If Leviathan's eyes were any wider there was a chance they'd just roll out of their sockets. His mouth also hung slack jawed as he tried to comprehend what in the big blue ocean just happened.

"Pinned ya again," Cerata said cockily as Leviathan just stared at her, a cocky expression of victory staring back at a baffled face of confusion. Slowly, both expressions drained away as the two stared at each other. Cerata got absorbed in the dark purple of Leviathan's eyes while Leviathan stared into bright green. She had the Inkling mask makeup around her eyes, but he could only imagine the purple highlights that naturally decorated her face.

The grip Cerata had on Leviathan's wrist slowly loosened with her expression. Not that either of the two noticed. They also didn't notice how Cerata was slowly leaning closer towards Leviathan. They both did notice that the deeper they looked into the other's eyes, the more everything else seemed to fade away.

 _BAM BAM BAM BAM_

"Inkay! You in there man?!" Then everything came crashing back into existence. Cerata immediately sat up until her arms were fully stretched out and blushed a deep shade of purple. Leviathan blushing his own shade of turquoise. "I have your key. I'm coming in bro," The front door was opened and Shiro stepped in, a huge smile on his face. "Inkay! I know you're in here!" He said taking steps towards the living room. He walked in to see Leviathan sitting straight up in a chair, his legs together and his hands resting on his knees.

"There you are!" Shiro called stepping into the room. He immediately noticed Cerata in the seat on the exact opposite side of the room than Leviathan sitting in an identical position. "And…who are you?"

"Sorry about this Inkay," A female voice called entering the apartment. "Somehow he pickpocket-ed my key to the place," Lyra called walking into the room and freezing like Shiro did at the sight of the decorated "Inkling" in the room. Kelp also entered and his respond was a simple raised eyebrow. Shiro's attention however faltered.

"Speaking of, why does she get a spare key to your place and your best buddy doesn't? I'm hurt," Leviathan, now much more collected from Shiro's antics stood up.

"Because I can trust her not to barge into my apartment unannounced and only use it for emergencies," Shiro prepared to respond when the key still in his hand was snatched away by Lyra. She gave him a glare and placed it in her pocket. She lit up and turned towards Leviathan, taking a step towards him as well.

"So Inkay, you gonna introduce us to your friend?" Leviathan gestured for Cerata to come closer and she stood and obeyed. She no longer had the playful aura as she now returned the quiet shy Cerata.

"Friends, this is Cerata. Cerata this is friends: Lyra, Kelp, and the idiot is Shiro,"

"He says that but he knows I'm his favorite," Shiro joked throwing a thumbs up.

"Hi!" Lyra stepped forward and took Cerata's hand, shaking it gently. She looked up slightly at the taller girl and beamed. "I love your tentacles! Who did you get to do them?" Both Cerata and Leviathan flinched as Cerata broke eye contact away from the sunny girl.

"Um…Leviathan…" The room grew silent as all eyes minus Cerata's shot towards Leviathan.

"You never told me you could style tentacles," Lyra said frowning at Leviathan.

"You never asked," He received a bigger frown as Lyra stepped closer to him.

"I have some words for you, but in order to keep a good first impression I'll save them for later," Leviathan smiled.

"Can't wait," Cerata looked back up and was immediately greeted with the light brown eyes of Kelp, causing her to visibly flinch and step back.

"Jumpy thing isn't she?" He said to no one in particular.

"Maybe because you're creeping on her! Back off!" Lyra scolded pulling Kelp back a few paces.

"Sorry, sorry. So, Cerata. That name is…interesting. Where did you say you were from?"

"She didn't," Shiro and Leviathan simultaneously responded. They looked at each other, Shiro throwing a thumbs up and plopping onto the couch while Leviathan rolled his eyes.

"Apologies. But you wouldn't mind telling us right?" Cerata could feel her heart quickening and looked away.

"Um…I-I…"

"She's from the islands," Leviathan stated taking a seat on the far end of the couch from Shiro. Kelp gave an over the shoulder look to Leviathan that looked normal to the members of the room, but whispered to Leviathan "I didn't ask you," Leviathan ignored the message and continued. "Ya know. Squiwaii. That place," Kelp let out an "Ah. Okay," as he turned towards Cerata again.

"You know Kelp, it's rude to interrogate someone right after meeting them," Lyra called grabbing Kelp by the ear and pulling him away from Cerata. She ignored his words of pain and sat him down between Shiro and Leviathan. Cerata could tell that this girl was like her guardian angel at the moment.

"So why have you burst into my humble abode today?" Leviathan asked as Cerata returned to her seat and Lyra sat in the chair opposite the room to her.

"Bro, I know you heard the news," Shiro called out. "The Splatfest was moved up,"

"Yeah? So?"

"Oh wow," Lyra chuckled leaning back in her chair. "Who is this girl again Inkay? She obviously has all your attention if you've forgotten," Leviathan ignored the question and focused on the statement.

"Forgotten what?" His trio of friends simply stared at him as Cerata tilted her head in confusion. They all silent stared at Leviathan until the light bulb went off. "Oh shit," He said leaning back, running his hand over his tentacles, the only male in the room with his not in a ponytail. "It's my turn isn't it?"

"Yep!" Was the collected response. Cerata's head tilted more in confusion, but she didn't feel it was her place to ask questions. Lyra, noticing her confused face, decided to inform of her of the situation.

"Every time there's a Splatfest, we all get together the day before and have a sleepover. We rotate at who's place we stay at, and if it wasn't obvious, it's Inkay's turn,"

"Yeah yeah," Leviathan groaned. "Sorry guys. I'm totally unprepared. I don't even have any food for tonight,"

"Well that's just not going to work my dear Inkay. You can't be having your girlfriend, who you kept secret from us I might add, from completing your duty to your friends. Don't you love us anymore?" Leviathan rolled his eyes at Shiro as he put on a sad face.

"She's not my girlfriend," Leviathan said, actually blushing this time around. Though Kelp was the only one to notice. He didn't say anything though. That would be his fun for later.

"Whatever you say man," Shiro responded reclining in his seat again.

"Listen Inkay, the solution is simple. We can just go to the store and stock up on some stuff. We can get to know Cerata a bit more while we're at it," Kelp suggested. Cerata curled in a bit. Though she did want to get to know Leviathan's friends a bit more, she didn't really want to risk being figured out when she was halfway to getting back to Octovalley.

"Yeah, that could be fun! What do you say Cerata? You up for some shopping?" Lyra excitedly asked.

"Um…I…Uh…I'm not sure. L-Leviathan?" She said looking towards the owner of the apartment.

"Leviathan?" Kelp asked to himself more than others. Shiro let out a laugh and gave a devilish smirk.

"Inkay, Inkay. I knew you were a man of power but it seems you've gone and gotten a girl of the submissive variety," Cerata's entire face got a whole variety of shades darker as Leviathan only darkened a few. There was a large _smack!_ sound as Lyra's hand connected to Shiro's face. Kelp rolled with laughter.

"Shiro! Watch what comes out of your mouth!"

"Oooowwww. Why you hit so hard?" Shiro asked rubbing his darkening cheek.

"Apologize to her!" Lyra demanded as Shiro turned and obeyed. Cerata, still not her usual color only stuttered more.

"If it'll make the dumbass shut his mouth we can go shopping," Leviathan said standing up and attempting to get the color out of his face. The rest of the group stood soon after, Cerata standing last staring at the ground.

"Alright! We gonna get food!" Shiro said throwing both arms up. Kelp shook his head at the shenanigans of his friend before turning his head towards Cerata.

"Excuse me," Cerata snapped to attention to the voice calling out to her. "Hate to ask you another question but, how old are you?" Cerata calmed down at the normal question and some of her color faded.

"I'm eighteen," She responded trying to maintain eye contact. She didn't need to fear these people. They were friends of Leviathan right? She just had to make sure her disguise didn't malfunction and she'll be fine. She brought her fist up to her mouth and subconsciously bit into to calm herself. Kelp raised an eyebrow at the gesture but didn't question it.

"Eighteen huh? That makes you the third oldest in our little circle here,"

"Really? Who's the oldest?" Cerata asked trying to make a good conversation.

"Hi there!" Shiro called placing his arm around Kelp and smiling.

"Idiot here is oldest. It's baffling I know,"

"I'm 20! I know I look young, but can't complain with youth!" Kelp shook his head.

"I'm next. I'm 20 too but I'm a few months younger than him," Kelp stated.

"I'm 18 as well!" Lyra called out peaking over the shoulders of the two males in front of her. "But I was born on the last day of the year so, I just assume anyone my age is older than me,"Cerata giggled.

"You celebrate your birthday then immediately celebrate a new year," Lyra smiled at finally getting a smile from the girl.

"Yeah, that's how it goes,"

"But wait. That would mean…" Cerata looked behind the group to see Leviathan standing to the back, suddenly finding a lot of interest in the wall. "Leviathan's the youngest?" For some reason that brought a smile to her face.

"Yep. Little Inkay here is 17. Don't worry he'll be 18 in a few months," Leviathan blushed at all his friends smirking at him.

"So what? I'm young. Get off my back," Cerata and Lyra giggled while Shiro and Kelp smirked at him. Lyra stopped her giggle and opened her eyes as if she realized something.

"Wait a minute…" She said. "You called him Leviathan," Cerata froze for a second confused.

"Is that a problem?" she asked not entirely sure if it was or not.

"I mean no, but…how close are you guys? Usually as soon as Inkay meets someone he feels he can call friend he tells them to call him Inkay," The boys in the room turned towards Leviathan for an answer, who simply shrugged.

"Well she is temporarily living at my place. We're pretty close. She's just stuck in the habit of calling me Leviathan. She can stop anytime she wants. Right Cerata?"

"Right," She responded with a small smile. "Inkay…" The corner of Leviathan's lip twitched upward for a moment but no one noticed.

"Come on squids! We're wasting sunlight! Let's go get some food! Shiro yelled out fist pumping the air. Kelp and Lyra walked out of the room first with Shiro dance walking out after them. Leviathan waited for Cerata to walk up beside him before he headed out as well.

"Inkay…" She said softly. Leviathan looked over to her at his name being said.

"Hm?" She didn't respond. She simply continued looking forward with a small smile on her face. Inkay smiled as well.

* * *

 **Another chapter down! So... as you can see, things did not go as planned, but I personally think this chapter came out pretty well. I hope you all agree. So what do you guys think of my chapter lengths? Too long, too short, or just right?**

 **And since I'm too lazy to create a poll, I'll have another question answered here: Would you all prefer I write how the actual shopping trip goes, or should I pick up from when its over, so the night before Splatfest. Knowing how I write, unless I'm dying slowly like I was last chapter, the mall trip will probably take up an entire chapter. So what do you want:**

 **A trip to the mall**

 **or**

 **Splatfest event**

 **Of course if the mall is written I'm still doing the Splatfest, it just will take longer for the good stuff to come in. So here what's going to happen, if you are gracing me with a review, just state which you would prefer. Judging by the amount of reviews a chapter usually gets, the winning idea will be which ever gets three votes first. If neither gets to three before Friday I'll do whichever got more. If the scores were even then I'll just flip a coin and surprise you. Basically I'm asking if you want filler or naw.**

 **Enough of the distance future. Let's talk of the recent past(the story you just read). So if you remember way back in chapter four, or whichever chapter Leviathan did the laundry, he held in a small chuckle. Now you know why! Congratulations.**

 **And we got a little idea on what mysterious red eyed figure is doing. Something machine related and some body getting on his nerves. Wonder who that is. Especially since the poor Octarian didn't notice him in the room. I promise there are reasons for things I swear.**

 **I guess now I'll talk of songs! The lyrics that mystery guy number two sang was from _Finale_ by NateWantstoBattle on Youtube. It's a FNaF song but I happened to be listening to it while I wrote and went, "This works." The song Inkay and Cerata danced to is called Squid Melody by The Living Tombstone. I refused to finish this story without involving that song in some way. I like it and it really gets my head nodding and makes me want to work on my drawings. So yeah. There's a third song in here as well, and all I have to say is, I'm sorry. **

**Also, Nobody...yes. Yes it does.**

 **Feelings are being developed whether Inkay and Cerata know it or not. I bet you're all waiting for the kiss scene. Well ain't that a shame? You little squid kids are going to have to hold your sea horses. If it wasn't for Shiro you may have gotten it.**

 **Don't you hate it when characters you ship are about to kiss but someone walks in? I do. And I can relate to them. It is a very annoying feeling.**

 **Anyway, another chapter comes to a close. I thank you for reading and a special thank you to those who review. I truly enjoy them. Until next time.**

 **Astalabyebye,**

 **Bang**


	7. A Trip to the Mall & Past

Kelp and Lyra stepped out of the apartment building, Shiro still dance walking behind them with Cerata and Inkay bringing up the rear. Shiro stretched when he stepped onto the ground and let out a pleasant groan.

"Aaaaaahhh, feel that sunshine! Feels good out today!" He said holding his head back to fully catch the sun's rays.

"The mall isn't too far from here," Kelp said mostly to Cerata since everyone else knew the location of the mall. "If we super jump we can be there in no time," Cerata flinched at the idea but Inkay spoke up before she could.

"How 'bout we don't? Like Shiro said, it's a nice day out today. We should walk," Shiro placed his arms behind his head and smiled.

"I'm fine with walking. A little sun never killed nobody," Lyra held her wrist behind her back, walking into a position so she and the rest of the group made a circle.

"I don't mind walking. The sun does feel really good on my skin," Kelp looked between the group and just shrugged, indifferent to whichever they did. Cerata however took a mental sigh of relief. If she had to super jump, there were roughly three seconds where she would have to be an octopus just sitting on the sidewalk in Inkling society. That was not a good situation to be in.

"Then what are we waiting for?! Off we go!" Shiro called walking ahead as the rest followed behind. They took a few paces forward before Lyra spoke out as she turned towards Cerata.

"So Cerata, how did you and Inkay meet?" Cerata flinched and brought her finger to her chin in thought.

"Obviously on my trip to Squiwaii with my sisters," Lyra did a gesture not much different than Cerata.

"Oh yeah. I remember you had to leave for a week. Poor Shiro was heartbroken," She said jokingly with a smile.

"Sure was. I howled like a dogfish at the absence of my dear friend," Shiro said slowing down in order to wrap his arms around Inkay and pull him into a walking hug.

"I swear, if you don't stop touching me…" Inkay whispered as Shiro let go with a chuckle.

"I don't remember you mentioning her though. What's with the sudden visit?" Kelp asked from the far side of the group.

"Um, Inkay and I weren't really that close during his visit, but we started messaging and grew closer that way," She glanced over to Inkay who gave her a "nice response" look with his eyes.

"Ah. That makes sense," Kelp sounded more pleased at Cerata answering his question rather than Inkay. Inkay was a close friend and all, but he knew his way around a lie. His sister made sure of that.

"So Inkay, any more friend girls you would like to introduce us to?" Lyra asked turning towards all the people now walking behind her.

"Not at the moment," He responded with the same smile.

"Good. You can't be keeping such big secrets from your friends," She turned back around so as to not trip over herself as they walked. They turned a corner and the mall could be seen in the distance, it being pointed out by Shiro for Cerata's sake. Wouldn't be long now.

* * *

Octavio sat in his dome prison. His four "arms and legs" crossed in a sitting position as he angrily glared out into the distance.

"Lunch time," A voice called. It was about damn time. He was starving. He wouldn't admit it, but he couldn't wait to eat. An elderly Inkling walked out of the shack beside Octavio's prison with a big platter of fish and clams. "Even went and got you some Crabby Cakes," The Inkling placed the plate into a compartment at the bottom of the snow globe, transferring it inside where Octavio could reach it.

It appeared in front of the Octarian leader as he didn't move. He would eat his meal when that accursed Inkling left. There was a small _thump_ sound. Octavio, who had kept his gaze far into the distance, glanced to his side. The Inkling had sat down a chair beside his prison and had begun to eat his own, much smaller plate. He stared into the distance as well, though without the malicious look in his eye Octavio had. Octavio's eyes narrowed.

"You can leave now," A growl escaped from his nonexistent lips as he scooted further away from the Inking.

"I know I can ," Silence. Octavio didn't want to be anywhere near this Inkling, glass dome or not.

"Your presence is bothering me,"

"Terrible sorry," Silence.

"Are you going to leave me alone?"

"Maybe after lunch," A low growl then silence.

"I utterly detest you,"

"I know,"

"Just go away," Octavio said, adjusting his position so that his back was to the Inkling.

"Octavio I-"

"Don't you dare utter my name!" Silence. Octavio heard the sound of his dome being touched but didn't bother to turn and look. There was the slight sound of movement and plates clinking. Octavio waited a few moments before peeking over his shoulder. The Inkling was gone, his half eaten plate sitting on his chair. Octavio turned towards his plate and slowly began eating. Finally. He could eat in peace.

Alone.

* * *

"This is the mall! Adventure and fun for all!" Shiro stated as the group walked in the front doors. Cerata awed at the size of the place and all the Inklings of different ages and colors.

"Wow. It's so big," Cerata gaped at the building with all the shops.

"Heheh. That's what sh-" Shiro was instantly elbowed in the side by Kelp.

"So guys. Are we gonna split up like usual?" Lyra asked as the group made a circle out of the way of the entrance.

"Not sure. We have an odd number now. How would we do that?" Three sets of eyes turned towards Cerata who instantly stiffened.

"W-what?"

"Usually we would split into groups of two, and whenever we ran into each other, we would switch," Inkay explained. "But now we don't have an even number, so we can't do that,"

"I say whatever we do, it should revolve around Cerata," Lyra said. Four sets of eyes turned towards her.

"B-b-but why me?"

"Well, you're kind of the biggest stranger in the group. This gives us a chance to know you a bit better," Lyra then hooked her arm with Cerata. "Don't worry sweetie! I'll be your first guide. There will be a chance we won't run into them so we can have a girl's day out! Come on! Before they interject!" Lyra began moving away from the group, Cerata's mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. She turned back to the group as Inkay mouthed a "Be careful," From the back of the three remaining males.

"So," Shiro muttered as Kelp looked over to him and Inkay watched the girls leave. "What should we check out first?" There was a calculating silence as Kelp brought his finger to his chin and Inkay tilted his still staring head to the side slightly. Kelp brought his finger down from his chin in an idea.

"Video games?" The two boys turned towards him and smiled.

* * *

"So…is there any particular place you're going to take me?" Cerata asked as Lyra finally came to a stop.

"Nope. Not exactly," She turned towards Cerata with a smile. "I was just getting away from the boys," She giggled as a small smile crept across Cerata's face.

"Why would you want to do that?"

"Because!" Lyra jumped and linked her arm with Cerata's slowly moving forward. "I'm the only girl in our group, and we are so close that we very rarely make outside friends. I needed to hang out with another female for once," Cerata nodded in somewhat understanding before looking around the bustling mall.

"So I don't know anything about this place. Where do you recommend we go?"

"Well…"Lyra started as she too began looking around. "We're going to avoid the video game store. The boys are gonna head there first no doubt," Cerata tilted her head slightly.

"Video…Games?" She questioned. Lyra turned her head towards the disguised Octoling and gave a confused look.

"Do you not know what a video game is?" Cerata flustered. She just shouldn't question anything anymore.

"Um…yeah! I just…uh…never got the chance to…play one?" Lyra turned her head forward and began looking over the different stories in the mall again.

"What a sad life to never have played a video game…" Lyra perked up almost instantly and turned towards Cerata. "We should go shopping!" Cerata raised a confused eyebrow at the Inkling girl.

"Isn't that why we were here to begin, with!?" she squealed as she was suddenly yanked in the direction of some unknown store.

* * *

The boys reached the video game store and awed at the giant selection. Inkay stood in the middle with Shiro to his right and Kelp to his left. He raised both of his fists to either side of him. Without turning towards him, Shiro and Kelp gave him a fist bump before they all yelled "Break!" and shot off in different directions inside the store.

Inkay went straight for the platform games while Kelp went for the puzzle and RPGs. It wasn't long before Shiro gasped in amazement and caught the attention of everyone in the store. He began a mad sprint to his nearest friend and shoved the game in his face.

"Kelp! Kelp! They have it! They actually have one copy in stock!" Kelp gave Shiro an annoyed look over his shoulder.

"Quit it. You're acting like a child," He whispered.

"But they actually have it!" Shiro almost squealed.

"Have what exactly?" Inkay's voice said over the isle as he came around the corner.

"Inkay!" Shiro shifted all his attention into showing Inkay the game clutched tightly in his hands. "Look! They have it! They actually have it!" Inkay raised an eyebrow as he looked over the cover of the game case and read the name of it. The front obviously had a Turf War going on.

"Splatoon?" Inkay questioned. "What is this? Some type of Turf War simulator?"

"Why would you want to play Turf War on a video game? Don't we do enough of that in real life?" Kelp responded, his own game in his hand.

"But this isn't just a Turf War! This is Advanced Turf Warfare! There's this inkstrike special that splits into three missiles in the air so it bombards three times the area! And the Kraken can whip its tentacles and either bring an enemy closer to the body or go ahead and splat a wounded foe! There's even an ink laser weapon that is definitely going to be nerfed because it takes like three seconds to charge up but it fires one big continuous stream of ink for like five seconds!"

"This all seems unnecessary," Kelp scratched his head as Inkay shuddered at the thought of all the times he would've died if those weapons were real.

"Exactly! There's no kill quite like overkill!" Shiro called making the two staring at him sweatdrop.

"Well then…"Kelp said placing a hand in his pocket. "And might I ask how you plan to afford paying for that game?" Shiro froze, silly smile still plastered on his face.

"I'll go put it back…" He said sadly as he turned around slowly and sulked off.

"Mhmm. Maybe now you'll think twice about buying everything you see," Shiro simply shrugged Kelp off over his shoulder. "I swear, why do we put up with him?" Kelp muttered. He got a small shoulder shove from Inkay and a smirked.

"Don't act so high and mighty. You of all people know he's a good guy where it counts," Kelp let out a sigh.

"I guess you're right," Kelp walked away from Inkay and towards the direction Shiro left. "Hey Shiro, don't put it down. Someone else might get it. But you owe me one!" A loud "yahooo!" Echoed through the store as Inkay chuckled to himself and returned to his game isle.

* * *

"Come on Cerata! Let me see!"

"No! I don't want to come out!"

"But I'm sure it looks great on you!"

"It doesn't!" Lyra sighed. She was currently wearing a pink dress that darkened towards the bottom like her tentacles and stopped just below her knee. The dress was cut on one side up to her mid-thigh to allow more leg movement. It was a somewhat tight dress, showing off the few curves Lyra had. She didn't have an hour glass figure like she hoped when she was little, but she knew she looked good regardless.

"Cerata! If you don't come out, I'm coming in," Lyra threatened, her hands on her hips.

"Please don't…." Cerata whispered. Lyra's brow furrowed as she rolled up her nonexistent sleeves and pushed her way through the changing room curtains. Cerata turned with a frightful expression towards the entering Inkling. She wore a dress that started off a light blue that darkened into a deep purple at the bottom. The dress became frilly at the waist and poofed out to about mid-thigh, being extremely bouncing. Like Lyra's the dress was sleeveless, but unlike Lyra, her dress was also strapless. Cerata had her arms crossed over her chest as the dress showed quite a bit of cleavage that she wasn't too keen on showing.

"Wow. You look amazing," Lyra said to Cerata's blushing face. Cerata hugged herself tighter and looked away.

"I don't know…I don't really like this dress. Don't you think this is a little…revealing?"

"Revealing?" Lyra questioned. "This isn't revealing at all! There are some dresses here that are a lot less modest than that one. That one is actually really adorable," Lyra told her. Cerata simply blushed more.

"I don't know…I still feel a little…exposed…" Cerata wined as Lyra chuckled.

"You look really nice," She grew a smirk and a playful look in her eye. "I'm sure Inkay would like it," Cerata instantly flushed more and turned her back to the Inkling girl.

"W-wh-what?! Why would it matter whether he likes it or not?! This isn't about him, it's about this dress making me uncomfortable!" She quieted down a bit. "Besides…even if I did like this dress, it's not like I have money to buy it…"

"Leave that to me!" Lyra called out. "Anything that helps you look good for your first Splatfest! I'll buy it as a gesture of goodwill!" Cerata turned towards the girl in confusion.

"But why?"

"Wynaut?" She gestured with a playful smile. "Besides, if Inkay invited you to stay at his place just to see Splatfest, then he obviously has a thing for you. He just doesn't realize it yet," Cerata almost laughed at how off that was. "So a little slap to the face from your feminine wilds should get those gears turning," Cerata stayed quiet. "And if not for him, do it for yourself. Have fun," Cerata looked into the smiling Inking's face and returned one of her own.

"Ok then…I guess I can bare wearing the dress," Lyra giggled and clapped her hands together.

"Wonderful!" She placed a hand on Cerata's shoulder and put on a suggestive smirk. "You know to successfully woo Inkay, we have to pick out what goes under the dress too," Cerata flushed deeper than ever before as she squealed out

"I'm not trying to woo anybody!" Lyra simply laughed as she exited the changing room.

* * *

"So boys, where do we go next?" Kelp asked as he lead the group forward. Inkay was eyeing the stores around them while Shiro was practically drooling over his new game. Inkay held a game known as Squid Emblem: Awakening while Kelp held Super Squid Maker.

"Where do you think the girls are?" Inkay asked as Kelp turned to him with a smirk.

"Why? You wanna ditch us or something? Sorry bro, but I call next on time with Cerata," Inkay rolled his eyes.

"That's not the reason I asked," Kelp shrugged his shoulders with a smile.

"What ever you say. I promise you, I won't make a move on your girlfriend, so don't get so offended,"

"She's not my-" Inkay was cut off as an arm wrapped around his neck. Shiro reached forward and put his other arm around Kelp, pulling the young man back as well. Shiro turned the entire group with a 180 degree turn with a silly smile on his face.

"Shiro? What the heck are you doing?" Kelp questioned annoyed. Shiro chuckled before he opened his eyes and his expression darkened.

"Ex-bitch at six o'clock," Inkay and Leviathan raised a questioning eye before peaking over their shoulder. In the distance an Inkling girl with dark orange tentacles sat at the food court. She was surrounded by two other Inkling girls with purple and green tentacles. Inkay and Kelp both narrowed their eyes at the girl before turning back towards the direction Shiro had faced them.

"Good eye Shiro. I'm impressed," Inkay praised.

"Same. I thought you were too entranced by your game to notice your surroundings," Shiro put on a smirk but his eyes and voice remained serious.

"Yeah well, I can smell bitch fits a mile away,"

"Unlikely. You would've warned us when we walked into the mall," The group began walking away, still linked around the neck by Shiro.

"Hey," Shiro chuckled. "Shut up,"

* * *

"I don't think I need any of this," Cerata flushed as she held the lacey black garments in her hand. Unlike the dress, there was no way she was trying this on.

"Come on Cerata! Cutesy on the outside, sexy on the inside," Lyra had another suggestive smirk on as Cerata stared at her a bit.

"I am not trying to be sexy for anybody!" She whispered yelled at the girl. Lyra sighed before giving a shrug.

"Okay fine. We don't have to get you any. Let's just wander around a bit then,"

"Thank you," Cerata said letting out a sigh of relief. She was honestly having fun hanging around this girl, but she seemed hell-bent on trying to get her and Inkay to hook up. She placed the undergarments back where they were and she and Lyra exited the store holding the bags of the two dresses they bought.

"Well I'm having fun. Are you having fun Cerata?" The disguised Octoling smiled at her new friend.

"Yeah. I'm enjoying myself," The two smiled at each other before Cerata noticed that Lyra carried a smaller bag. "And who are you getting sexy for?" She questioned. Lyra chuckled and placed the smaller bag into the larger one with her dress. She brought a finger to her lips.

"That's a secret," She winked at Cerata as they both laughed and continued walking. "I'm having a good feeling hanging out with you Cerata,"

"Well well, if it isn't Lyra," Lyra froze as she turned towards the voice, Cerata following the voice and Lyra's gaze. There sat an Inkling girl with dark orange tentacles giving a cocky look to Lyra. Lyra's shoulders visibly slumped as she crossed her arms.

"Oh. Hi Molly," She practically hissed out. The Inkling girl rose from her seat, her entourage following her up.

"And how have you been Lyra? It feels like it's been ages since we last talked," Lyra scoffed at the Inkling before responding.

"Well it's not like we're sisters or anything,"

"Really? I always saw us as sisters. We used to be so close," Lyra narrowed her eyes. Cerata noticed some obvious animosity between the two Inklings but chose to simply stay out of it. "Who's your friend?" Well apparently she was being pulled into it.

"Why do you care?" Lyra spat, much to Cerata's surprise.

"I'm just trying to be nice. What's your name darling?" The Inkling asked turning towards Cerata.

"Um…Cerata?" She answered causing the orange tentacled Inkling to widen her smile.

"Aww, isn't she adorable? She seems so like the submissive type. What Lyra? Finally decided to take control of something?" The Inklings accompanying Molly giggled at the joke while Cerata and Lyra both narrowed her eyes, Cerata not liking be called submissive again while Lyra didn't like what the Inkling was implying.

"Is there a reason you're talking to me?" Lyra growled causing Molly to smile.

"Yes actually. How's Kelp doing?" Lyra flinched and her eyes narrowed again.

"He's fine without you. Thanks for asking,"

"Oh is he? That's fine. But I still think we're long overdue for some catching up. He has such…nice hands. And magic fingers," Cerata noticed Lyra grip her arms tighter but didn't say anything.

"Don't you have to be a bitch somewhere else?" Cerata wasn't really surprised at the comment by now. She was however, surprised at the response.

"Maybe if Kelp's there. Maybe I should go find him," With that she gave Lyra a halfhearted goodbye and a wave as she left and her entourage followed. Lyra growled as she turned towards the food court and plopped down on a seat.

"Good feeling's gone," She growled. Cerata walked up to her new friend and sat beside her.

"What was that about?" Lyra sat quietly at first, so Cerata wasn't going to push deeper into the apparently touchy subject. There was a sigh.

"Molly used to be a really close friend of our group," Cerata turned towards the now sad looking Inkling but stayed silent to listen. "She was the friend I talked to most. We discussed our secrets, hopes, dreams…she was my best friend…One day…we were discussing crushes over at my place. She told me hers and I told her mine…"Cerata tilted her head.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Lyra let out a distressed sigh and brought her legs to her chest.

"I told her that…I…have a crush on Kelp…" Cerata let out a small gasp.

"But…she said…have you?"

"Told him? I'm too scared…If it was Inkay or Shiro I'd have no problem but…Kelp…"

* * *

"So Kelp, how's mom doing?" Shiro asked as the boys entered a suit store. Kelp let out a sigh before looking through the suits on the rack.

"She's not doing too well. She's got about another week before…" Inkay placed a hand on Kelp's shoulder and gave his friend a sympathetic smile. "What makes me feel so much worse is how she's…so calm about it…She just…accepted it…" Shiro was the next to place a hand on Kelp.

"Hey man. She's just being strong. For your sake. So that means you have to be strong for her right?" Kelp looked at Shiro. Though his eyes showed no type of sadness, he wiped them as if he was about to cry.

"When you have your serious moments, you actually have some smart things to say," Shiro giggled and rubbed his nose.

"Come on man, you're making me blush,"

"So Kelp," Kelp turned towards Inkay, who had just pulled a suit that caught his eye off the rack. "What do you plan on doing with the place? I mean have you planned anything?" Shiro chuckled again and stepped closer to Kelp.

"I'm going to let my older bro have the place and I'm gonna move in with Shiro for a while before getting a place of my own,"

"We're going to be roommates!" Shiro said hugging Kelp, who simply rolled his eyes and patted the Inkling's shoulder. "And I've already laid down the ground rules. I need my beauty sleep and I can't have him ruining that,"

"You would never wake up if sleeping made you beautiful," Inkay joked. "So Kelp, you're not gonna be keeping Shiro up huh?" Inkay raised an eyebrow and smirked while Kelp simply rolled his eyes.

"Don't insult me. My side is always quiet,"

* * *

"No way…Kelp? But he seems…"

"Calculated? Smart? Well that doesn't stop him…" Lyra let out a saddened sigh. "I really want to tell him, but….He changes girlfriends more than Turf Wars change stages…" Cerata didn't quite get the comparison, but she got the point. "I don't want to be a temporary thing and then ruin our friendship…"

"But that doesn't explain what Molly has to do with anything,"

"Like I said, I told her that I had a crush on Kelp…and at the time, she had a crush on this guy called Krako or something like that. Unlike how close Kelp and I were, Krako and our squad were more of a "wave from across the room" type of friends. But somewhere along the line, Krako gained a crush on me,"

"And Molly didn't take it well?"

"She didn't even tell me!" Lyra screeched. "Instead she decided to make me feel bad by dating Kelp behind my back, then announcing it out of the blue,"

"So what happened?"

"I slowly started slipping away from the group. Usually when Kelp got a girlfriend he would take time away from the squad…but since he was dating a member of our squad, I saw firsthand how he treats his girlfriends. So I got more and more jealous and spent less and less time with the others. And then Shiro happened,"

* * *

The boys exited the store, bags of new outfits in their arms.

"So what ever happened to Em?" Shiro asked as the eyed the other stores.

"Emily?" Kelp asked doing the same. "She's actually doing fine. We stay in touch every once in a while, and she's planning to visit in a few weeks,"

"Neat. So uh…think you can put it a good word?"

"Seriously Shiro? You asking for Kelp's sloppy seconds?"

"Inkay, calm yourself. Emily and I didn't do anything. She had this child-like innocence I couldn't bring myself to break,"

"So…good word?" Shiro asked giving Kelp the puppy dog eyes.

"Fine. Good word,"

"Yes!...uh oh…"

"Well hi Kelp," The boys narrowed their eyes at the Inkling girls approaching them.

"What do you want Molly?" Inkay groaned out.

"I just wanted to talk. How have you been Kelp?" Molly approached Kelp who in turn took a few steps back.

"Don't act like we're still friends. I don't want anything to do with you," Kelp spat. Molly put on a hurt expression.

"Come on Kelp. What could I have done to make you hate me so much?"

"I don't know," Shiro said stepping in front of Kelp. "Maybe dating him to spite one of his best friends, leading him on, while simultaneously dating someone else on the sidelines had something to do with it," Molly narrowed her eyes at Shiro.

"Oh. It's you. I hardly noticed you without a cop on your back,"

"And I hardly noticed you without semen on your face. But I guess even basic bitches have at least some decency," Kelp and Inkay chuckled behind their smiling friend.

"Don't you have to be stupid somewhere else?"

"Not until four. And then I'll be hangin' with my friends. About the same time you'll be taking two Turf War teams," Molly growled and her fists balled up. "You seem angry. Let me tell you something, momma didn't raise no douche. As a man who respects the fairer sex, I will not hit a girl. Unless they hit me first. Summed up, I won't hit you first, but I guarantee if you mess with my friends or me, I will hit you last," Molly huffed before turning and stomping off. Her entourage doing the same. Kelp and Inkay burst into laughter at the retreating Inkling.

"Shiro, I swear I forget how brutal you can be at times," Kelp said placing his arm around Shiro's neck.

"Yeah well…I don't really like people messing with my friends. You're kinda all I got," Inkay gave Shiro a noogy and smiled at his friend.

"I knew there was a reason we kept you around,"

"I thought it was because you loved me," Kelp and Inkay chuckled.

"That too,"

* * *

"Wait, so Kelp took Molly's word over Shiro's?"

"Yeah. Apparently Shiro had a crush on Molly for a while, so when he told Kelp that she was cheating on him, he chalked it up to jealousy. Kelp actually started shunning Shiro so our squad was in shambles. But Shiro wasn't having any of that," Lyra chuckled at the thought. "He actually stalked Molly. Did some spy work and caught her in the act. He of course ended up caught and arrested. Put up a pretty bad fight and got himself hurt. He was sent to the hospital, but not before he sent Kelp the evidence. Kelp, pretending he didn't know, asked Molly to pardon Shiro so the charges would drop. Then he dumped her ass,"

"So you all became friends again," Cerata said with a small smile.

"Yeah. You should have seen Shiro's face when all three of us walked into his hospital room. Stiff limbs, all types of bruises, black eyes, and he was smiling like an idiot. It was then we vowed never to let anyone tear us apart again," Cerata smiled. Honestly she never faced such drama. All the drama in her life came from war and fearing if she were to run into Agent 3. She looked around when she realized that he could be anywhere, but she quickly composed herself and turned towards Lyra.

"And where was Inkay during all this?"

"Inkay tried to keep everyone together, but at the time he had to deal with his sisters. I'm sure he's told you about that," Cerata was about to object but figured that may get her questioned if this was common knowledge. "Anyway, we've wasted enough time. We should get back to shopping!" Lyra said standing up. Cerata stood and stretched as she followed.

* * *

The sun was setting as Inkay and the squad left the mall, each carrying bags of food, clothes, and random trinkets and such.

"Well today was fun. We should do this again some time Cerata," Shiro said nudging the girl. Cerata chuckled.

"It was fun. I wouldn't mind doing it again sometime," Came Cerata's honest response. "So, what time tomorrow does Splatfest start?" She asked the group. Kelp fought his arm from under the bag straps and looked at his watch.

"About 5 hours from now. So midnight,"

"Midnight? So when does it end?"

"Midnight," Cerata gave Shiro a confused look as Inkay and Lyra chuckled.

"Splatfest lasts 24 hours. To get the most out of it we're probably just going to go to bed as soon as we get back, then it's a 24 hour party. With lunch breaks of course," Lyra explained. Cerata had never really partied before, but she was sure 24 hours was a little too long for one.

"Care to explain what exactly we'll be doing?" The squad went silent.

"Why don't we discuss that as a bed time story?"

* * *

 **Greetings. Yes yes it's been awhile. I know. And I'm sorry for that. But school is a pain. Had to drop a class, and still getting butt kicked by Cal III and the like.**

 **Personal tragedies aside, I've been on break for almost a week now, and I've done nothing but read stories, play video games, and procrastinated all types of homework. I wasn't planning on updating this chapter for about another half a week or so, but then thelonelyinkling reviewed and I felt bad so I worked on it. I hope the chapter is enough to entertain you until the next chapter gets done.**

 **Speaking of chapters, I have mixed feelings about this one. I know a lot of people were looking forward to some Cerata interaction with the none-Inkay-Inklings, and there was a little bit of that with Lyra. I wanted to give a little more insight on the squad's background and add a little info on some of the characters background. I honestly think I did a crap poor job with it. I got some stuff across, but I think the format was kind of lack luster. I promise next chapter will be better.**

 **And of next chapter, it'll include the long awaited splatfest. Along with something else. So far, all my chapters have been between 4500 and 5500 hundred words, so, since the next chapter is going to be big, would you all mind a chapter of 7000+? Because all the things that are boiling in my think pot are saying it may be a long chap. If that seems too much I'll shorten it. Like always if you have an opinion on the matter voice it in the reviews.**

 **So this chapter. There was a few insights on the characters. Lyra has a crush on a Kelp, who apparently can't keep a girl. More on that next chap. Shiro is revealed to value his relationship with his friends over his own well-being. That's loyalty. Honestly I had a lot of character development set for the Splatfest events, but everyone seemed to want a little background at the mall so I tried to add a little in. Again, I hope it satisfies you all.**

 **Not much happening on the Octarian side of the story. Trust me, that'll change next chapter. Read that as you may.**

 **Like always, I thank you for reading, special thank you to those who reviewed, and I hope you enjoyed. Until next time.**

 **Astalabyebye,**

 **Bang**


	8. Party Day (Part 1)

"No!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"NOOOOO!"

"ROLLAAAAAAAAAA!"

 _SPLAT!_

"Ugh! Why did I even agree to play this with you?! What the heck was that?!"

"It was the special bro! Supa Rolla,"

"Yeah, well it's supa broken. I was on the other side of the wall from you!"

"That's why it's a super bro. The roller can reach through small walls and over short ledges,"

"Still overpowered,"

"Whatever. You wanna go again?" Inkay looked at the controllers in his hands before dropping them on the ground childishly. He was sitting on the floor in front of his TV in his apartment next to Shiro. He crossed his arms and legs before putting on an annoyed face.

"I don't want to play this game anymore," He said lowly. Shiro chuckled before nudging Inkay's shoulder with his. He smacked his lips together a bit afterwards.

"What's that? I'm getting this strange taste. It tastes a little…salty. Are you being a sore loser bro?"

"Oh, I'll show you sore!" Inkay lunged at Shiro who let out a startled cry as his friend landed on him. Cerata and Lyra, who were sitting on the couch behind the boys laughed at the display. Lyra turned to her left and rested her shoulder on Kelp's.

"So how's your game going?" Kelp glanced over at Lyra before looking back down at the two screened handheld he played on.

"These fuckers keep targeting my healer," Kelp growled out causing Lyra to let out another chuckle.

"Wouldn't you target a healer first? It kind of makes the fight easier,"

"Well, yeah but I expect that from another player, not an AI. I refuse to lose to a computer!"

"Why is it so bad? Can't you go one match without a healer?" Lyra mocked with a small smile on her face.

"It's not that simple. If a character dies, they don't come back. I will not lose a single person in this war. This I swear!" Both Cerata and Lyra let out another laugh. Cerata looked around the group. After they returned to Inkay's apartment from the mall, they put everything in its proper place and immediately went to their video games. They had been playing for about half an hour now with her and Lyra spectating. She turned towards the only other female and nudged her arm. The female Inkling rose off of Kelp to see what her newest friend needed.

"When are we going to discuss this Splatfest thing?" Lyra smiled and looked over the group.

"Right now actually," She stood up and stretched a bit. "Alright guys, we need to discuss our plans for Splatfest. More so than usual since we won't be participating in the Turf War part of it,"

"Can this wait like, three more minutes?" Shiro wined as he stared at the TV screen. "I've already found a waiting room, and I can't exit until the next match is over,"

"Multitask," Kelp said as he shut his handheld and focused on Lyra. Shiro groaned as the screen he stared at started a match. Inkay turned towards the rest of the group and tilted his head.

"So what exactly are we going to do? I know we Turf War for a good fifteen to twenty hours, but I don't think I can deal with standing around that long since I don't dance," Cerata gave him a smirk that he responding to with a glare that screamed 'keep your mouth shut'.

"Well, how about instead of heading in at midnight like planned, we just get up at about six? We get ready and then we actually head over there around seven or eight?" Kelp suggested.

"Sounds like a plan. We stay at Splatfest 'til around twelve, come back, chill, maybe get some extra sleep, then head back at 6 again," Lyra added as she sat back down.

"Ok, but we gotta be rested for the after-party," Shiro chimed in as he continued to tap away at his game.

"And why is that?" Cerata asked the group, even though it seemed that Shiro had his own reason.

"Because, that's when stuff really hits the fan," _SPLAT!_ "Damnit! Where did you even come from!? Anyway, Splatfest is open for everyone, therefore some young Inklings who just gained the ability to transform can participate, so it's all kid-friendly. But the after-party is adults only."

"And why is that?" Cerata repeated, the rest of the group secretly curious as well.

"Well, a few Splatfests back, this one girl was feeling frisky, but instead of heading back to her place, she up and decided her boyfriend was too shy, so she got him to do her right there in the plaza," Both girls went wide eyed while Inkay raised an eyebrow and Kelp remained flat-faced.

"You're joking," Lyra gave the Inkling an unbelieving stare.

"I swear! Of course the police were called but by the time they got there it had blown up into a full grown orgy. No cop wanted to deal with twenty something naked bodies,"

"You have got to be lying," Lyra continued.

"Actually he's not," Everyone turned to Kelp surprised.

"In fact it became so popular that it's an actual thing. The after party keeps the trucks for the music and everything. The plaza is shut down for about half an hour, then you need an ID to get back in. Alcohol is served and everything,"

"And how do you know about this Kelp?" Inkay questioned as all eyes saved for Shiro's turned towards him.

"I heard my mom gossiping about it with a friend and looked into it. It's a real thing but you know we're all too exhausted after all the Turf Wars we do so we miss it,"

"And you want to go to this thing?" Cerata questioned suddenly weary of Shiro's character.

"Well yeah. I mean I don't want to participate in the kinky stuff. I just want to see if there really are party animals that wild. And I wanna try their drinks. I hear they have some amazing drinks. They have this one called Truth Serum. Said to fuck you up something fierce," His game ended with his character doing a little dance and he turned towards his friends. "Whaddya say? Just a quick in and out," His grin grew wider as Lyra glared at him.

"I don't see the harm. I could use a drink," Kelp said to no one in particular.

"Well…I can't let you guys have all the fun…Cerata? You in?" Lyra called attention to the disguised Octoling who immediately froze.

"Well…I don't see why not?" It was more of a question but the group took it as a yes.

"Then it's settled. We start partying at eight and stop after we chill a bit at the after party!" Shiro cheered.

"Yeah, which means I'm not putting up with none of your griping," Inkay said standing up and turning off the game.

"Wha?! But! I was about to play another round!"

"If you stay up too late you're going to be the one bitching and trying to cancel the plans. So go to sleep," Shiro let out a childish groan before muttering "fine,"

"Lyra, Cerata, are you two okay with sharing a room?" The two girls looked at each other before smiling and nodding at Inkay. "Good. Kelp, you get the couch and Shiro-"

"I get to sleep with you!?" Shiro lunged at Inkay in an attempt to hug him, but Inkay simply placed a hand on his head and pushed him away.

"You get a chair. I don't care which," Shiro acted sad as Inkay began walking away. "I'll get you guys some blankets and some pillows," Kelp and Shiro nodded as Lyra and Cerata stood up.

"Well, good night you guys. See you in the morning," Lyra said as she walked towards the guest room.

"Good night," Cerata waved to the boys who mimicked her farewell and followed Lyra towards the bedroom. "Good night Inkay," She called into the apartment.

"Good night Cerata," He replied. Cerata smiled to herself and followed Lyra into the room.

* * *

"So, I'm here. What do you have to tell me?" Octameri stood in the open door of her superior. She was sweating a bit, a result of her joining in the training, much to the other Octarians' horror. There was a silence as the insides of the room remained dark. It wasn't long before a voice carried out.

"Twelve hours,"

"Come again?"

"Train your troops for another twelve hours. Then, allow them to rest for twelve hours. When that is done we will put our plan into action," A devious smile crossed Octameri's face.

"So in twenty four hours we're moving out?" She asked in overly excited glee.

"No. In twenty four hours we will take back Octavio. Once he has returned," The figured stepped out of the room into the light, causing Octameri to step back in both fear and respect. Bright red eyes glared down on her as the figure continued.

"We're going to war,"

* * *

"You really think I should?" Cerata nodded furiously at the girl sitting across the bed from her. Lyra sat in neon green underwear and hugged her pillow closer to her chest. "But…what if he doesn't feel the same…what if I become the one to ruin the squad?..." Cerata placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and gave her a small smile. She was in a dark purple bra and panties.

"The group won't break up over something like that. And if you don't, you'll just be living with what-ifs just watching him with other people,"

"But what if he dumps me?…"

"You'll have to find someone new," Lyra rolled her eyes and dropped her pillow.

"You make it sound like that will be easy to do,"

"Well there are a lot of people out there. You just need to find the right one. And if you ask me, you should at least give Kelp a shot," They sat in silence as Lyra thought it over. She took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.

"Ok. Tomorrow I'll tell him…I don't know when! But I will…"Cerata smiled and gave the Inkling girl a quick hug before looking her in the eye.

"I'm sure it'll go great!" Lyra forced a smile before standing to turn off the lights.

"I hope so. Anyway, goodnight Cerata," She said as she crawled under the covers.

"Good night," Cerata mirrored as she too got underneath the warm materials. The girls turned their backs to each other and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Inkay awoke at an ungodly hour. He rubbed his eyes as his body screamed its protest of getting up but he ignored it the best he could. He stood out of his bed and put on some shorts and his Basic Tee before quietly exiting his room. He tiptoed down the hall to the guest room and slowly opened the door.

With just as much caution he poked his head in to make sure the two residents of the room were still asleep. Honestly Kelp was the lightest sleeper of the group and he wouldn't be surprised if him opening the first door awoke the orange tentacled Inkling. Regardless he slowly stepped towards the side of the bed he guessed Cerata to be on. He expected what he saw so it was no surprise.

Her disguise had begun unwinding in her sleep, so her tentacles were once again looking more Octarian than Inkling. He slowly nudged her arm to wake her up. She groaned in her sleep and slowly opened her eyes.

"Inkay? What're you-?" Inkay placed a finger over his lips before answering.

"Get some clothes and go take a shower,"

"What time is it?"

"Too damn early. Now come on. Move quick, but don't wake anyone," Cerata was unsure what was going on, but as she sat up, a tentacle rolled its way over her eye and she knew her disguise was coming off. She got off the bed as quickly and quietly as she could and headed towards the closet to gather something to wear. It wasn't until she reached the closet she remembered Inkay was in the room. She looked over her shoulder and saw him standing there frozen. She then remembered what she went to bed in. She took the shirt she had picked up and held it against her chest to cover herself and turned her back to Inkay. She looked over her shoulder with a glare.

"Do you mind?"

"Oh, um…sorry," Inkay whispered as he headed for the exit. "When you get out of the shower knock and I'll do your tentacles," He said as he quietly shut the door. Cerata giggled. He hadn't seen the smirk gracing her lips as she turned her back to him. She didn't know why but she was more interested in his reaction rather than the fact she got caught so close to being completely bare. She turned her attention back to the closet and picked out an outfit and headed to the shower.

It wasn't long before she poked her head out of the bathroom. She prepared to call for Inkay but he had been out in the hallway waiting. He looked up from his sitting position and rose to his feet. He made his way towards the bathroom with a bag in hand. He entered and Cerata took a seat on the toilet. He looked at her and she looked at him.

"So…can I?..."He questioned gesturing to her tentacles. She blushed and rubbed her hands on her knees.

"I'm ready," She squeaked out. Inkay nodded and began doing the same procedure he had did earlier, Cerata shifting under his touch. Unlike before, she found herself quickly leaning back into his hand every time she flinched. When he finished with her tentacles, she honestly found herself disappointed. She didn't voice her want for him to continue however. She simply sat there quietly.

"Close your eyes," Cerata obeyed and Inkay reapplied the Inkling mask part of the disguise. He stood up and smiled as Cerata opened her eyes and returned it. She stood and stretched as Inkay headed towards the door. He opened it with Cerata following close behind.

"Well well, welly welly welly, well well. What do we have here?" They both froze as Shiro stood in the hallway with a smirk on his face.

"It's not what you're thinking," Inkay called as Shiro chuckled.

"Well how do you know what I'm thinkin'"

"Cause I know what it looks like. I was just fixing her tentacles,"

"So that's what they call it these days?" Shiro said with a wide smile. "Don't worry bro, I won't tell anyone. I swear," He said as he walked past the two into the bathroom. Cerata giggled a bit as Inkay rolled his eyes and let out a sigh.

"Don't encourage him,"

* * *

Cerata had noticed that music had been playing ever since Inkay had woken her up a few hours before hand. She attempted to look out the window to see what she could see, but Inkay urged her to wait until she stepped out into the streets to see everything.

Honestly the suspense and her curiosity were just about killing her. Right now she sat at the table with Kelp and Shiro while Lyra and Inkay fixed breakfast. Lyra mixed eggs and checked bacon while Inkay stood flipping pancakes. Cerata noticed just how easily Inkay prepared the dish and thought of how her cooking skills were nonexistent. Maybe she could get some lessons from Inkay some time.

Then reality hit her. They were preparing to go to Splatfest. The thing keeping her here. By this time tomorrow she will most likely be back with the other Octarians. That thought had a pretty strong bittersweet taste to it. She found herself thinking about what would happen once she returned. She would probably have a few days off battle duty since she's been MIA, but she will no doubt be questioned. But what if she was sent to battle immediately? In all honesty she still feared the thought of Agent 3, but she didn't want to fight him for another reason now. Before she thought that he fought to defend their stolen items, but now she knew that he fought to protect what was actually theirs. She didn't want to fight on the bad side. Maybe she could convince the others the Inklings weren't that bad.

"Breakfast is ready!" Lyra called setting down an entire arm full of plates in front of her friends, each already filled with bacon and eggs. Inkay placed a pancake on each plate and put all the condiments in the middle of the table.

"Looks good. Thanks guys," Kelp said smiling to his two friends as they took their seat.

"Rubba dub dub! Thanks for the grub!" Shiro called as he picked up his fork and stuck it in his pancake. Lyra smacked his hand with her spoon with a glare.

"Wait for the rest of us!"

"Ah, come on!" Lyra strengthened her glare making Shiro sigh in defeat. With a smile, Lyra linked her hands with Kelp and Inkay's, while Kelp linked his with a sour-faced Shiro. Cerata looked around confused but noticed Inkay offering his hand to her. She slowly took it as Shiro took her other one. The rest of the group closed their eyes so Cerata did the same.

"May this meal strengthen our bodies and hone our minds," Lyra started. "May we return safely to the comforts of our homes in good health. And may we get to be graced once more with the presence of our new friend Cerata. May her first Splatfest be everything she hopes and more, and let her come to visit us again. Asquid,"

"Asquid" The Inklings repeated. The unlinked hands and picked up their utensils.

"Cerata? Are you okay?" Cerata looked around confused at Lyra's question. All eyes were on her and she didn't know why until she felt something drip onto her leg. She brought a hand up to her face and noticed she had a tear running down her face. She was crying? Why was she crying? She was just eating a meal. With friends instead of allies…preparing to enjoy themselves instead of train…and genuinely enjoyed her presence instead of required it. Inkay held her hand under the table and gave her a worried look. She sniffed a bit, carefully rubbing her face so she could wipe away the liquid but not mess up her disguise. Inkay gently squeezed her hand a bit and she smiled to the group.

"I'm fine. Really. Thank you all for the wonderful time," The group smiled at her.

"Alright then! Let's eat!" Shiro called as he began digging into his breakfast. Inkay prepared to let go of Cerata's hand but she held on tighter. Yielding to her wants, he simply held her hand under the table as they began eating as well.

"By the way Cerata," Inkay started. "I know of a way to really have you enjoy the sight of Splatfest," He grinned while she looked on confused.

* * *

"How much longer?" Cerata groaned.

"We're almost there," Inkay said with a smile. The smile was lost to Cerata as she had been blindfolded. She clung desperately to Inkay as he led her to the plaza.

"Was the blindfold really necessary?" She questioned.

"I think he just wanted you close to him," Shiro snickered while Kelp hummed in agreement.

"Whatever. I know you hear how loud the music has gotten. We're almost there," It was true. Cerata could practically feel the bass of the music vibrate her entire being. They turned another corner and Inkay stopped. "Okay, we're here. You can take it off," Cerata quickly let go of Inkay's arm and took off the blind fold. Her eyes widened at the sight of everything. The plaza she went to just yesterday looked completely different.

The first thing she noticed was that the sun wasn't up, even though she knew it was almost noon at the least. She came to the conclusion that Splatfest happened whenever there was, what the Octarians called, A Darkening. The Octarians never knew when one was coming but the Inklings apparently did and partied during it. The next thing she noticed was all the fireworks gracing the sky in pictures and comments rooting for the two teams. Vibrant greens and purples lighting up the dark sky.

The music playing at the moment was an amazing thing of itself. It made her feel like moving, and even though she heard it as she approached, it combined with all the sights made it even more beautiful. She glanced around the plaza. It was filled with Inklings chatting and bobbing their heads to the beat of the music. The music was coming from a set of speakers placed on top of two trucks that she continued to look around with a face of amazement.

"Well?" She turned her attention to the voice and stared back into Inkay's smirking face.

"It's beautiful," She muttered returning her attention to the area around her.

"Aw, yeah! First impression: Blown out of the water!" Shiro declared.

"And we got here just in time too," Kelp pointed to the two trucks in the plaza. The music had quieted down just a little as four Inklings climbed atop the trucks. There were two on each one and they had microphones in their hands.

"Good evening Inklings!" The people called out over the crowd, getting cheers and applause. "Are you all ready to party?!" Louder cheers as the music changed to something else. "Remember, all those participating in the Turf Wars, pick up your T-shirts at the Team booth!" With that, the teens began singing. Cerata began bobbing her body to the music as she listened to the song.

"Well it seems someone is enjoying themselves," Shiro said as the others chuckled. Cerata chuckled as well and turned towards Inkay.

"Dance with me?" Inkay raised an eyebrow and glanced towards his friends, all of which were giving him a suggestive look.

"Sorry, but I'm gonna have to turn you down. I don't dance,"

"What?!" Cerata said with a more than amused look on her face. "Come on. I _know_ you dance," She said giving a look screaming she knew otherwise.

"Yeah, I've never known Inkay to be much of a dancer. Always a wall flower," Shiro said nudging Inkay, who simply shrugged.

"He's no fun," Kelp said rolling his eyes at the Inkling now taking a small step back from the group. Cerata crossed her arms and huffed. She furrowed her brows at Inkay who only, once again, shrugged his shoulders. A hand was suddenly presented in front of her. She looked at it then followed the arm to its owner. "Care to dance with me?" Cerata uncrossed her arms and held her hand out to accept the invitation when she glanced over at Lyra. The Inkling girl looked completely fine with it but it didn't feel right. She pulled her hand away and smiled.

"No thanks. I'm going to have to politely turn you down," All males in the group gave a confused look to the disguised Octoling. Shiro and Inkay noticed how she changed her decision when she looked at Lyra, so they figured she had something to do with the change of heart but didn't question it.

Kelp on the other hand was too busy focused on his now wounded pride. He wasn't one to dwell on a turndown but he still wasn't expecting one. As hurt as his pride was, he simply shrugged with a calm expression on his face and extracted his hand. He turned towards Lyra and held his hand out again.

"Would you like to dance?" Lyra crossed her arms and put on a fake hurt face.

"What am I? Your backup plan? I refuse to be number two," She said as Kelp put on an expression to match hers.

"Don't be like that. I was just trying to make sure our new friend enjoyed her first dance,"

"Mmmhmm," Lyra turned her back to Kelp as he chuckled. He reached around and grabbed her hand turning her towards him.

"You know you wanna dance," He said smiling.

"You're lucky I do. But I think you only deserve one dance,"

"Well it's a good thing Splatfest lasts 24 hours," Kelp grinned as Lyra raised an eyebrow.

"You expect me to dance that long?" Her answer was him dragging her away from the group as everyone laughed.

"Would you mind dancing with me?" Shiro said nudging Cerata in the arm with his elbow, a goofy smile on his face. Cerata giggled before answering.

"Sure. Why not?" Even though this raised more questions to why she didn't dance with Kelp, the Inkling boys ignored it.

"Yes! One step higher than Kelp! Come on, let's shake a tail fin!" He said moving towards the ocean of moving bodies. Cerata laughed again before she looked back at Inkay, who motioned her to go ahead. She gave a disappointed smile before going to the dance floor as Inkay took a seat on the nearby bench.

* * *

Octavio twirled his wasabi plants as he looked into the distance. He felt really good right now. Like, _really_ good. He didn't know why. It just felt like something big was about to happen. He of course didn't know what, but he could feel it in his tentacles. Maybe he'll finally be free of this crap hole. If only he had his music. A few funky beats would get his tentacles moving in the best way. But alas, all he had was his wasabi plants. So he would twirl those and bob his head to the beat in his head.

The Inkling in the small house next to him had the opposite feeling. He was paranoid, looking over his shoulder every other second, even when his back was against the wall. He went to bed calm as a bright summer day, but he awoke in a panic that wouldn't seem to go away. He wanted to return to the blissfulness of sleep, but something kept him awake. So he paced his small home and waited for what was going to happen to happen.

* * *

Noon came sooner than expected for the squad of Inklings. Inkay had occupied himself with the few Inklings who sat on the bench to either take a break or chat him up. To his surprise quite a few Inklings invited him to the after party. He wasn't quite sure how to feel about that.

But of course, his friends eventually returned. They were all sweaty and breathing heavy but they looked like they were enjoying themselves.

"Having fun?" He questioned as he stood to his feet and stretched.

"Yep. You should try it some time," Kelp chuckled.

"Maybe some other time. So we headed back for now?"

"Yeah. This time we're going to dress in party attire. Gotta look our freshest for the Squid Sisters," Cerata prepared to question who those were, but if they had to be their 'freshest' to see them, it was easy to guess that they were big in the Inkling society and it would blow her cover. She would find out soon anyway.

"Honestly I'm kind of tired. You think we can get a quick nap before returning?" The group nodded at Kelp as they head back. Shiro took out his phone and began pressing numbers.

"Who are you calling?" Inkay asked. The blue tentacle Inkling turned to him with a smile.

"Ordering pizza. Gonna have it delivered to your place, then we can eat and sleep. My treat," The group looked at each other and shrugged.

* * *

The time was 5:37 when Inkay awoke for the second time that day. He stretched his arms as he stepped out of his bed. Right as his feet touched the ground there was a knock on his door.

"Inkay! We're all getting ready! That means you need to get ready too!" Lyra called through his door. He fully stood and walked over to his closet where his new outfit was waiting. It was a royal blue vest with a purple undershirt and black slacks. He fixed himself up and put his tentacles in the standard male ponytail before exiting his room.

Kelp and Shiro both sat in the living room waiting for the others. They greeted Inkay as he came out and the three commented on how good they looked. Kelp's outfit was exactly like Inkay's except the vest was a bright orange and the undershirt was green. Shiro's matched the set with a bright blue vest and slacks with a purple undershirt. Unlike the previous two males, Shiro had his vest open.

"Man we look good," Kelp said adjusting his vest and smiling. "Any idea when the girls are coming out?"

"They're probably doing makeup or some girly thing. Let them take their time. There's plenty of party left," No soon had Shiro said that, Lyra cleared her throat from the doorway. The two females were wearing the dresses they had bought the day prior. Lyra stood with a smile and both hands on her hips while Cerata had her arms crossed nervously in front of her. All boys' mouths dropped at the two girls standing there. Kelp and Inkay quickly regained their composure as Shiro simply whistled.

"You two look great," He said wiggling his eyebrows. Lyra chuckled before gesturing towards the door.

"Come on let's go. The good bands will be playing by now," The squad nodded as the headed towards the door. They all exited the apartment for the second time that day. Inkay exited last in order to lock the door behind them. He caught up to the group and stuck in the back with Cerata as Shiro bragged about how sharp he was. He lightly tapped her arm to get her attention.

"That dress looks really nice on you," Cerata's face instantly heated up as she looked away. A small smile creeped across her face as she muttered out a "Thank you,"

 **This is half of the whole chapter. Expect the other half before the night is over because its not quite done yet, but I didn't want to keep you nice folks waiting. :p**


	9. Party Day (Part 2)

**Something to say at the begin? Egad! Anyway, Callie and Marie have a duet in this chap, so to sum up,**

This means Callie is singing

 **This means Marie is singing**

 _This means they're both singing_

 **Got it? That is all for now.**

* * *

"Alright girls, you'll be on soon. Are you ready?"

"We're ready!"

"Wonderful! I'll come get you both when it's your turn!" The older Inkling male exited the room to leave the two cousins alone.

"Ugh. I swear, I love Splatfest, but I hate our part in it,"

"Come on Marie. It isn't that bad. I thought you liked to sing,"

"I do. Just not the same song for six hours straight with no break," Callie let out a small chuckle before returning her sights to the party in the streets below. Marie took out her phone and started fiddling with it. "It's been awfully quiet lately huh?" The room fell into silence for a moment. Well, as silent as a room can get with such a big party going on outside of it.

"You think we should check on gramps soon?" Callie asked as Marie shrugged behind her.

"Maybe. We'll run and see him tomorrow," Callie waved at a fan as they made eye contact before returning to her seat across from her sister and waiting for their turn to sing.

* * *

Upon returning to the plaza the group pretty much did the same thing as the first time. All but Inkay moved onto the dance floor while Inkay simply observed. He eventually wandered over to Spyke's little corner and chatted with him for a while before returning to his bench. They had been there about half an hour when the music quieted down as another Inkling took the mike.

"What up my party squids?! Y'all having a good time?!" The crowd burst into cheers as the Inkling nodded his head. "Alright alright. Now it's that time of the night again. Now which one of you fresh squids want to get up here and show us what you got?!" Again, the crowd erupted into cheers and shouts of approval. "So here's what we're going to do. We gonna get one of you lucky squids to come up here and sing us a song. Afterwards we're going to have a short break then you will be entertained by the one, the only, Squid Sisters!" Biggest cheer yet. "So who wants to come up and sing for us?"

The crowd chanted "me" as bodies jumps and hands were raised high. The Inkling scanned his eyes over the crowd humming to himself as he choice the lucky contender. He broke into a wide smile as he made his choice.

"How about you little lady?" The crowd quieted down as they followed his finger to the target. Cerata stood wide-eyed as all eyes became transfixed on her.

"M-me?"

"Come on up here and sing for the crowd!" The Inkling smiled.

"I-I…Um..,I don't think I…Should…um…" Cerata was twiddling her thumbs wildly and trying to avoid the gaze of literally everyone there.

"Aww, she's shy. What're you waiting for folks? Let's give her some encouragement!" The crowd erupted into cheers again and a few Inklings in close proximity to her nudged her towards the trucks.

"Well…I…Um…Ok…" Cerata slowly made her way towards the truck the Inkling stood as the crowd cheered her on. All she could think about however was how much of a bad idea this was. Just being out in public was risky enough. What if she was exposed now? This had to be the worse place to get exposed. Sure not everyone in the immediate vicinity had a weapon, but the large majority did. And she would be front and center.

Cerata could practically feel her heart beating against her chest and reviberating in her ears. She slowly made her way up the steps to the top of the truck where the Inkling took her hand.

"What's your name beautiful?" The Inkling ask.

"Ce-Cerata…"

"She's still shy! Let's give it up some more for Cerata!" The crowd erupted into more cheers and the Inkling gave Cerata a microphone. "Just read what's on the teleprompter in time with the color transitions ok?" The Inkling whispered to Cerata. She nodded her head and he patted her back. Cerata looked over the crowd and the feeling of unease got worse. She swallowed as the music began to play.

Right before she prepared to turn her eyes to the teleprompter, she caught glimpse of Inkay and his squad standing at the back of the crowd. They were of course all looking at her, waiting for her to start. She locked eyes with Inkay who gave her a small wave. She swallowed and took a deep breath. She just had to calm down. She could get this over with quickly. She opened her eyes and read from the teleprompter as it began its transition.

"I want your tongue twister,"

The crowd erupted in cheers and wolf whistles.

"You got my body shaking, head spinner. I want it. I want it. Let's get loud. Cause I can't stop the feeling of your tongue twister. I want it. I want it,"

The crowd had once again begun to dance in beat with the music. Cerata stole a glance back towards Inkay's squad. They were all dancing save for Inkay, who instead chose to bob in rhythm to the music. Which was a start. As the crowd continued to cheer, Cerata calmed down a little.

By the time her second verse came, Cerata was full on dancing. She rocked her body and swung her head back and forth much to the crowd's enjoyment. By the time the song was over, the crowd had gone into a frenzy at the display and Cerata was panting heavily.

"Let's give another shout out for Cerata!" The Inkling called out as the crowd cheered. The Inkling guided Cerata to the steps to get off the truck and returned to center stage. "Alright, we're going to have a short intermission then we'll listen to the beautiful melodies of The Squid Sisters,"

All Inklings in the area began to gather with their squads and chat. As Cerata headed back to the Inklings she knew, she was swarmed by Inklings praising her performance. She both liked the experience as well as feared it.

Back with the Squad, Inkay had returned to his benched position. Kelp and Lyra had went to go grab a drink from the nearby drink machine while Shiro simply chatted up members of the crowd in an attempt to make new friends.

Inkay simply watched over the crowd. He felt like he would enjoy himself more if he danced, but that wasn't something he did. So instead he studied the crowd and let his friends have all the fun. It wasn't long after Cerata's performance that Shiro came and sat by him.

"Man I love Splatfest. I knew the Turf Wars were fun but this is great too!" Inkay chuckled at his friend's excitement.

"I thought you were more interested in the after party," Shiro shrugged as he smiled at his friend.

"Honestly I don't care what we do. I just like hanging out with you guys," Shiro said patting his friend on the back. "Which means I want you to have fun too. You need to go out there and shake a tail fin or something,"

"Sorry man. I don't have one,"

"Ah come on. Everyone has a tail fin,"

"Nope. I must have a birth defect," The two chuckled to themselves as they looked back over the crowd.

"How tragic," Shiro muttered as they looked over the crowd silently. They sat for a few minutes before Shiro spoke again. "Man. I need to find myself a girlfriend," Inkay turned towards the Inkling with an amused expression.

"And why would you need one of those?"

"Well I can't be the only one in our little squad who doesn't have someone to coddle with,"

"What are you talking about?" Inkay questioned as no one in their squad was currently in a relationship. Shiro responded by pointing into the distance. Kelp and Lyra were leaning against a far off wall chatting as they sipped their drinks. They both wore huge grins and were standing shoulder to shoulder. "You know it's going to happen. Just you wait," Inkay titled his head and shrugged.

Shiro then turned his attention towards the opposite side of the plaza. Cerata was surrounded by a small group. Though the group consisted of a few females, there was a majority of males that seemed to being trying to get close to her. Inkay looked at Shiro understanding his implication and let out a huff.

"She's not my girlfriend,"

"Whatever man. I'm just saying," Inkay turned back towards Cerata's position and noticed that quite a few guys had gotten closer to her. "Don't let the catch of the day get away," With that, Shiro stood up, stretched his arms and headed back out to find a dance partner.

Inkay returned his sights to Cerata, who seemed to be uncomfortable even though she wore a smile on her face. A bit annoyed at the amount of attention she was getting he stood up. He wasn't sure why he was annoyed, but he was.

He headed towards Cerata's location at a calm pace. It wasn't long before he was close enough to hear what was going on.

"You have a really nice singing voice," One Inkling said as he took a step closer to Cerata. "Where did you learn to sing?"

"T-thank you. That actually was my first time singing," She got a collection of 'oooo's' and 'aaaa's'.

"Was that also your first time dancing?" Another asked.

"No. It was actually my third," The Inklings around her chuckled with her.

"Just a talented little thing aren't you?" a third asked. "hey, what do you say that when The Squid Sisters come out, you and me have your fourth dance together?" A third Inkling said as he took her hand in his.

"Um, sorry? I'm not interested," Cerata slowly pulled her hand away from the Inkling with a tiny blush on her face. The second Inkling spoke up.

"Why not? Are you still acting shy? Come on gorgeous. Dance like you did on stage," The third said trying to scoot his hand closer to Cerata's again. She was preparing to move away when someone cleared their throat. They all turned to see Inkay standing there with a pretty neutral look on his face. He didn't say anything. He simply extended his hand towards Cerata.

Cerata's cheeks darkened a lot as she stared at Inkay's extended limb and then him. In almost a trance like state, she reached out and took his hand, letting him guide her from the group surrounding her. A few of the girls giggled while the majority of the guys seemed disappointed.

Inkay led her back to his bench and sat down. She of course sat down beside him. The two sat quietly in each other's presence. It wasn't an awkward silence, it was just they couldn't really think of anything to say, so they let the silence be. The personal silence gave Cerata a bit of time to think. Mostly about her reaction. She glanced over to Inkay, who was once again watching the crowd.

When he stepped through the group of men and offered her his hand, her heart fluttered and her breath caught in her throat. Honestly she was hoping he'd request a dance, but the image of him all dressed up and offering his hand to her was enough to overlook the disappointment. She wasn't sure why she felt the way she did, but the feeling was there. She found herself smiling.

"It's about that time isn't it?" Inkay sadly broke the silence. Cerata tilted her head in confusion until she followed Inkay's line of sight. In the distance was a grate. Cerata's smile faltered. She kept her sights away from Inkay and turned them towards her lap instead. The idea of returning to Octovalley now had an even stronger bittersweet taste to it. She opened her mouth to voice her feelings.

"Um…Inkay?" Lights suddenly turned on. The crowd once again raised the volume as the Squid Sisters approached the trucks. They smiled and waved as they descended the stairs from the studio. Though they were glancing around, Cerata could have sworn that the green one locked eyes on Inkay then whispered something to her sister. The other one glanced over and chuckled as well. They continued their walk forward. They climbed onto separate trucks and adjusted their microphones, the crowd quieting down for them.

"Good evening Inklings!"

"Are you ready to party for real?!" The crowd let out the biggest uproar yet.

"Well what are we waiting for?!"

"Let's dance!" Music began playing as the theme of Splatfest began. Cerata watched as other Inklings had already begun to bob and dance to the music. She guessed she would just sit with Inkay and watch them. She noticed there was suddenly a hand in front of her. She followed the arm up to its owner to see Inkay's smiling face.

"Dance with me?" Cerata blushed again but quickly regained her composure, trying her best to mimic Inkay's smirk.

"Oh? But I thought you didn't dance," Inkay chuckled as he stood up, hand still offered to her.

"I guess I'll make an exception for you," Cerata's heart fluttered again as she placed her hand in his and he guided her to the dance floor.

"Come on, come on, now!  
Get ready right now!  
You've gotta let us know what's your team!"

 _"Turn it up right now -  
Get ready, Inklings, to bring it"_

"You ready? Go!  
We're gonna, bring it real loud!"

 **"If you're not ready…  
Get yourself ready until you're steady.  
Don't rest your head not knowing who'll be the best.  
So baby, pick who you'll root for, you ready?" **

_"Pick who you'll root for, the team that won't fall!  
Pick who you'll root for, and give it your all!  
Don't rest your head, we're gonna rock through the Fest!  
So baby, pick who you'll root for, you ready?" _

Cerata and Inkay stood at the edge of the group of bodies and danced to the beat, waving their hands and twirling their bodies. Somehow, the crowd seemed to absorb them into it, and before long they were pressed against each other to avoid others, but neither seemed to mind. So they kept dancing.

* * *

"You heard the boss! Move move move!" Octarians quickly moved into a giant ship, either carrying or riding their weapons. Octameri was leading the charge, standing in the entrance of the ship, demented smile on her face. Honestly, she could pull off this mission by herself. The only reason she didn't was because her superior told her not too. And she needed someone to drive the ship and fly it away when their target was secured.

Nevertheless, she was bringing just enough soldiers to do that and give a little bit of fire power. On the off chance that she needed it. The last of the soldiers entered the ship and it began take off. She wouldn't have to wait much longer for revenge. And the sweet thrill of the kill.

* * *

Cerata fanned herself. Did Inklings always party like this? Inkay and the others seemed a little tired but nowhere near as tired as she was. They were sweating just a little, and though their breathing was a bit quickened, Cerata was practically gasping for air. She honestly didn't know how long Inkay and her danced, but if the music hadn't slowly died down and people started leaving she would've kept going. She was having so much fun.

"So what do you guys want to do until the after party starts?" Shiro questioned, the top two buttons of his undershirt unbuttoned to help cool him down.

"I say we should just walk around. It's cool tonight. We walked in the warmth yesterday. Might as well even it out," Inkay suggested.

"Well alrighty then. After you," Kelp said motioning Inkay forward. Inkay bowed as he walked ahead. The rest of the group chuckled and followed close behind.

* * *

Cap'n Cuttlefish turned off his TV. He always enjoyed watching his granddaughters dance and sing on the old tele during Splatfest. Or any time really. But alas, it was over. Until next time. He stretched his old limbs and prepared to head to bed. He glanced out his window and noticed a large cluster of stars. He shrugged it off ad glanced towards Octavio. He also seemed to be interested in the stars.

"Good night Octavio," He wasn't expecting a response. He just had to make sure he said it. He closed the blinds and headed off to bed. It wasn't until he was snug under his covers he heard a small humming sound. No, it wasn't a hum. It was a beat. Music? No one should be playing music this late this far out.

With a groan, he exited his bed and headed towards the window the noise seemed to be coming from. He peeked through the blinds and saw Octavio…dancing? Wait, was Octavio making the music? How was that possible?!All he had were his wasabi sticks! Cuttlefish would admit that the old DJ knew how to make a beat or two, but music from wasabi sticks? That was unheard off!

Now that he really listened, the music was exactly the same as when Octavio and Agent 3 had their fight. And it was getting louder. Cuttlefish adjusted the blinds just enough to somewhat follow Octavio's gaze. His mouth almost fell past his beard as the cluster of lights he original thought were stars turned out to be a giant ship. From said ship a giant claw dropped down, grabbing on to Octavio's prison like a prize in a hook machine. Even more startling was that it seemed to be an Octoling holding on to the base of the hook.

Cuttlefish watched as the Octoling and Octavio seemed to be talking of something. It wasn't long before both Octavio and the Octoling looked towards the window. Cuttlefish quickly closed the blinds, clutching his cane tightly in his hand as he ran and locked the door. He hid in a dark corner of his house and waited as the music reverberated throughout the house. After a small while, the music began to quiet down, as if the ship was flying away.

Cuttlefish waited in his hiding place a bit longer. Just when he thought it was safe to come out, his door was kicked in. What startled him was that it only took one kick. He peeked out of his hiding place to see the cause and noticed the Octoling standing in the doorway.

"Here Inkling, Inkling," She whispered as creepily as she could. Cuttlefish didn't respond. Instead he looked for a weapon. The Octoling's tentacles were glowing and she had an ink tank, meaning she had a super ready, but Cuttlefish couldn't see a weapon her. If he did he could guess what super she was carrying and maybe be somewhat aware of what he should do. "Come out and I'll hurt you a little less," She hissed. This wasn't good. He had to get in contact with somebody. He glanced towards where his communicator was. He had to somehow sneak over to it.

"I know you're hiding over there," The Octoling suddenly said. "You can either come out now or I can just go around breaking your shit," Cuttlefish took a deep breath. He slowly stepped out of his hiding place, arm behind his back and cane supporting him. "Oh, don't you look calm. Accepted your fate huh? That's good. It'll make this easier," Cuttlefish still said nothing. "Don't worry, I was told not to kill you. Octavio wants you alive to see your face when he destroys your city," Still nothing. But the Octoling did raise her fists towards him.

That's when Cuttlefish saw it. Her gauntlets were using ink. They were her weapons. Well, he was wrong when thinking that if he knew what her weapon was he'd know her super. He knew nothing about those weapons. Regardless, he returned his gaze to her. With a small chuckle, the Octoling shot forward, fist held back ready to strike.

There was gun fire. Ink shot out towards the Octoling. Her eyes widened as the stream approached her. Cuttlefish's eyes widened when somehow, the Octoling moved her body just enough out of the way for the shot to be nonfatal. Instead, the right half of her torso was covered in grey ink.

The Octoling had barrel rolled the shot and was now on a knee holding her side, letting the ink of her gauntlet slide over her hit side. She glared daggers at the old Inkling and the item he had used to attack her.

"Your cane is a weapon?" She asked dumbfounded. Cuttlefish wiggled his mustache at her. Honestly he didn't know what to do now. He was banking on his bamboozler to be a one hit killer in this situation. The element of surprise was pretty much the only thing he had at the moment. Oh well. Go down kicking.

The Octoling stood to her full height. The condescending smile on her face replaced with an animalistic snarl. She charged forward at full speed. With an arm still behind his back, cuttlefish aimed his bamboozler to his right, shooting a trail of ink in that direction. Thinking he was going to take that path, the Octoling changed the direction of her attack slightly. That second of misdirection was all it took for Cuttlefish to turn into a squid and slide underneath the Octoling from the first trail.

He quickly popped out at the end of the trail and fired again. The Octoling leaned back, the ink flying over her. She charged again. Cuttlefish sank into the ink and the Octoling threw her fist where he was last. Just as it was about to connect, Cuttlefish jumped out of the puddle Super Jump style and slammed himself into his opponent. They both flew backwards and slammed into the wall, causing items all over the little house to fall over from the force.

Cuttlefish knew that in his younger days, this Octoling would've been dead. But now, the force knocked just as much air out of him as it did his foe. Maybe more. By the time he collected him and pointed his weapon at the Octoling, she rolled out of the way and ended up beside him. She grabbed the Inkling by his beard with her left hand. She pulled him forward and swung a hard uppercut into his gut. When her gloved fist connected with the elderly Inkling, a large amount of purple ink seemed to explode out of his back.

Cuttlefish coughed up purple ink as he went limp, his opponent the only support for his body. She held the old man up by his beard as his eyes rolled around in their sockets.

"One hit old man? Come on. Already your coughin' up ink. And it's purple too," She dropped the Inkling's unconscious body to the ground. "That means you're close to getting splatted…" She clicked a few dials on her gauntlets and her smile returned. "Don't think you're getting off that easy," She said lightly smacking his face to wake him up. "I'm just getting started,"

* * *

It was time for the after party to begin. Inkay and the group returned to the plaza. A tall, stereotypical bouncer was standing at the entrance.

"I'm gonna have to see some IDs squiddies," He said holding out his hand. Inkay stepped up first, handing the bouncer his ID and letting him scan it. "Level 50. Nice. Level 50s get access to the VIP bar for special discounts," The man said handing Inkay his ID back.

"Thanks for telling me," The rest of the squad showed their IDs before standing on the opposite side of the bouncer to wait for Cerata.

"Um…I don't…have an ID…" She muttered honestly scared of the Inkling's response. His eyes narrowed as he returned his arms to their crossed position.

"Wait a minute. Aren't you that Inkling that was singing during Splatfest?" Cerata blushed and took a sudden interest in the man's shoes.

"Y-yeah. That was me," The bounce gave a coy smile as he looked over his shoulder at the other Inklings.

"She wit you?" He muttered causing the squad to nod. "I'll let it slide this time," He said letting Cerata pass.

"Thank you!" Cerata said giving a bow to the man and standing beside Inkay.

"Just don't tell anyone ya hear?" The squad nodded and entered the plaza. The trucks were gone and replaced with club like bars, each with an assortment of drinks lined up.

"Ok, everyone stay together. We're just here to check it out and get a few drinks. Don't want anyone caught in the weird stuff. The group nodded and headed towards a bar. Shiro approached the bartender with a large grin on his face.

"Good day my good man. I would like to order a shot of Truth Serum for my friends and I," He said putting on his coolest voice. The bartender raised an eyelid at him as he began preparing the drink.

"You sure you can handle it kid?" He asked as he poured the drink into little cups everyone could wrap their thumb and ring finger around. Shiro scoffed as he picked up his drink, still smiling.

"Please,I can handle anything your little cart can dish out," He said. He looked at the bright blue liquid in his glass, his squad waiting for him to try it first since it was his idea. He downed it in one gulp, and even though his entire body lurched as soon as it touched his lips and again after he swallowed, he kept it down. "Whoops. There go my organs," Shiro's face collided with the bar as his friends jumped.

"Oh my god, is he going to be okay?!" Lyra asked shaking her friend.

"He's fine," The bartender responded as he was cleaning a glass. "That's everyone's reaction if they have close to zero alcohol tolerance. Give him about three minutes and he'll be the life of the party," The group stared at Shiro's apparently unconscious body.

"Welp. We came here for a reason," Kelp muttered as he downed his glass like Shiro before him, a large chuckle escaping his lips for seemingly no reason. "I suddenly feel…like the bucks of a million," He stuttered. "Yo barkeep. Can I have another?" Lyra and Cerata looked at each other worriedly before Lyra raised her glass to her. Cerata expected her to just clink the glass, but instead the Inkling girl linked her arm with her and brought her drink to her mouth. Cerata did the same, though with much more difficulty. She almost threw it back up as soon as it touched her lips. It was very sweet, yet somehow it burned like a spice.

Lyra let out a loud "WOOOOOOOOOO!" As she finished her glass, many people in the ever growing crowd woo'ing with her. Cerata on the other hand began rocking off balance. Like Shiro before her, her head met the bar. Inkay simply stared at his drink before letting out a sigh.

Suddenly Shiro threw his arms and head back in a loud "WOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMYYY!", making Inkay almost jump from his seat. "I feel like a mile-high, pastrami on rye, on the fly from the deli in the sky!" He screeched as he jumped off his stool and ran out to the dance floor. A bit more horrified, Inkay looked over his drink.

"Over the teeth and through the gums I guess," He downed his shot, and as it slithered its way down his throat, he could practically feel his pupils constrict.

* * *

Inkay didn't exactly know where he was, but he knew he was enjoying himself. He and Cerata were having a good time laughing about nothing. Boy this Truth Serum was some good stuff. Oh yeah, he was at the plaza cause of the after party. That's where he is. Him and Cerata were just sitting at the bar telling each other slurred stories as the rest of the squad had went to who knows where.

"So, I, I, I…I had this…dream. I don't, it's been trying…it's been trying to come back to me," Cerata stuttered out. "But I can't quite…catch it. Ya know?" Inkay overly nodded his head, his entire body moving with the exaggerated motion.

"I, I know. Do you remember anything about it?"

"I remember…little somethings. I was chasing em…but I was doing it for fun…wait!" She said throwing her hands out at a sudden realization, almost knocking over a bottle that sat in front of the next group. "You were in it,"

"I was? What was I *hiccup* What was I doing?" Cerata stared at Inkay for a moment before shrugging.

"I don't know…say, is it a good idea to be drinking something called Truth Serum when I have a special problem the public shouldn't know about?" Cerata thought she whispered the second part but in reality everyone within six feet heard it.

"Naaaah. You're fine. No one is gonna find out about your…that," Inkay said trying to find the words before quitting to just gesture to Cerata's tentacles. "Saay, where are everyone else?" Inkay slurred as he and Cerata began looking around.

"Your friends are over there," The bartender said. It took a while before the two sorted out where 'there' was, but when they did both of their jaws dropped. Kelp was sitting on the bench with Lyra straddling him. Her hands were running up his chest while his rubbed up her outer thigh and toyed with her dress.

"Holy sea cow they're making out," Inkay muttered dumbfounded. "The fucker was right…We gotta go before they get involved in something bigger than themselves," Inkay said struggling to stand. Cerata stood and followed, approaching the two Inklings ignorant of their arrival.

Inkay grabbed Lyra by the shoulder and pulled her back some and away from Kelp. Both parties' mouths were open with their tongues sticking out, that one glimmering trail of saliva connecting them.

"Ok, gross. Come on. We're going home," Lyra seemed to be in her own little world as she stared at Kelp, her index finger poking at her lips.

"Why so soon man? The night's young," Kelp said just as slurred as Inkay. Inkay simply stared at Kelp. "Alright, alright, I'm coming," Kelp slowly pushed Lyra off of him and onto her own two feet, causing her to pout and let out a sad whine.

"Where's Shiro?" Inkay questioned. Kelp pointed over to another bench where Shiro's unconscious body laid. "Oh Shiro…"

* * *

When the squad made it home, Kelp and Inkay dropped Shiro's unconscious body on the couch. The entire room let out a tired yawn.

"Welp. It's beddy bye time. Good night everyone," Inkay said returning to his room. Everyone said their good nights and went to their own beds. As Inkay lay in his, he glanced at the clock. 2:57. Ugh. He'd have to get up in a few hours to sneak Cerata back. He snuggled under his covers and went to sleep.

It wasn't ten minutes before his door opened up. He glanced at the figure before it closed the door and approached the side of the bed he was closest to.

"Cerata?" He asked rubbing his eyes. What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see if I could sleep in here with you,"

"Why? What happened with you and Lyra?"

"Nothing. I just let Kelp stay in there,"

"Aw, what? In my guest bedroom? Come on. I'm going to have to burn those sheets now," He said rubbing his face and placing his head on his pillow.

"I think they deserve some time together,"

"Well I do too but my guest bed? Ugh. My little sister sleeps there," Cerata giggled.

"So can I?" Inkay simply rolled over and moved the sheets so Cerata could get in. She got under the covers and they laid back to back.

"Good night," Cerata whispered.

"Good morning," The room fell into a silence for a few minutes until the rustling of sheets broke it. Inkay at first planned to ignore it and chalk it up as Cerata shifting in her sleep. Then her arms slowly slinked their way under his until they were wrapped around his body. "What are you doing?"

"I'm cold," She whispered.

"That's what the covers are for,"

"I'm under the covers. I'm still cold," Inkay let out a sigh.

"You just want someone to cuddle with don't you?"

"Lyra and Kelp look so cute as they hold each other…" Inkay let out another sigh and removed Cerata's hands from around him. Hurt, she prepared to turn back around and go to sleep. She was softly pulled closer as Inkay wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him. She smiled to herself and nuzzled into his warmth. Surely she would have good dreams tonight.

* * *

"Ugh. So exhausting,"

"What is? Losing so much?" Callie smirked at her cousin who gave her a glare.

"Hey, it's not my fault what I represent is always so popular," Her cousin responded crossing her arms. The two were in their apartment prepping for bed, Marie dressed in her green undergarments while Callie wore purple sleeper pants and a t-shirt.

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"Well, since we have more members, our good/bad ratio is much broader, meaning it's more likely that a group of bad people will team up and cost a lot of victories,"

"Wow," Callie chuckled. "Kinda harsh for your fans don't you think?"

"Hey, if they suck, they suck,"

"Whatever. Hey, did you see that Inkling?" Marie looked at Callie with a blank stare. It wasn't like she wasn't just singing in front of an ocean of Inklings for the last six hours. Callie grew a wide smile and Marie's mouth dropped in realization.

"Oooooh. That Inkling. I wonder who that was,"

"I don't know. We'll have to ask him tomorrow. After we visit gramps,"

"Yeah. Anyway, good night." Marie called as she headed towards her room.

"Good night,"

* * *

Inkay awoke from his sleep at about five o'clock. His body groaned from exhaustion and his head was spinning from the Truth Serum. He rubbed his eyes to get rid of their blurriness. He glanced down beside him to see a sleeping Cerata clutched to his chest. What did he do last night?!

Oh wait…he didn't do anything. The Truth Serum had him high as hell. Or was he drunk? He didn't know, but it was like he ran on autopilot. Cerata just came in here purely to sleep. And now that he looked at her, her tentacles had come undone, revealing her Octarian features. He slowly tried to remove himself from her grip.

"No. Don't go. Keep me warm," Cerata muttered as she held Inkay tighter. Inkay gently unwrapped Cerata's arms from around him.

"Cerata, it's time to get up," He whispered. "And your tentacles have come undone,"

"I don't care," She muttered trying to nuzzle back into him.

"We need to get you back," He said lightly tapping her face to wake her up. She eventually fully opened her eyes and looked at the Inkling.

"Right now?" She muttered still half asleep.

"It's the best time. Go get your Octoling gear," Cerata sighed and got out of bed. She snuck back into the guest room and grabbed her gear, tiptoeing into the bathroom to change. She snuck back into Inkay's room as he finished dressing.

"Here. Put this on," Inkay said handing Cerata a hoodie. Cerata took the hoodie and did as she was told. The two snuck out his apartment, Cerata taking a sad glance back before heading out.

They silently made their way down the streets of Inkopolis, trying to stick to the shadows as much as possible without looking too suspicious. They finally reached the grate that had been sealed a few days ago, and looked around before making their way in.

Safely away from Inkopolis and somewhere to in the far west of Octovalley, Cerata returned Inkay's hoodie to him. He thanked her as they began their search for a grate back to the Octarian civilization. The walk was a silent one as once again, neither really had anything to say. They found one pretty quickly and turned towards each other.

"You sure this one will get you back?" Inkay asked as Cerata smiled at him.

"I'm sure. I've actually traveled down this one before," Inkay didn't question it.

"So…I guess this is it," Cerata sadly whispered as Inkay nodded.

"I guess so," The two shared a sad smile as Inkay turned towards the grate.

"Well. It's been fun Cerata," Inkay said as he extended his hand towards Cerata. Cerata reached out and shook it.

"It was. Thank you so much Inkay. For everything," Inkay gave a bigger smile.

"No problem. I'm glad I met you," Cerata blushed madly and smiled.

"Same. You're truly a nice person," Cerata took a few steps back towards the grate.

"Well. I'm off. Thank you again. Never change,"

"Don't plan on it," Cerata turned around and walked to the grate. She stood on it and looked down. She was about to go back. It was time. And she felt…surprisingly sad. She looked over her shoulder at Inkay. He gave a small wave. That was it. A wave. Cerata turned back and shook slightly.

"Wow. You're kinda dumb," Inkay tilted his head. Cerata turned around sharply, fists at her side and her head down concealing her face. Inkay knew what she meant. He watched as she stepped down from the grate and stood quietly as she took angry steps towards him. He already knew what she was going to do when she paused in front of him, visibly shaking and her tentacles still hiding her lowered face. He let her take the collar of his and pulled him down.

Cerata pressed her lips against his. Inkay at first sat completely still, but it wasn't long before he wrapped his arms around the small of her back. He closed his eyes and sank into the kiss as he pulled her closer to him. Feeling Inkay accept her kiss, Cerata softened.

She moaned into his lips and her grip on his collar loosened until her hands were simply resting on his chest. She ran her hands up his chest until her arms wrapped around his neck as Inkay gently rubbed her back. They pressed themselves fully against each other and enjoyed the feeling of each other's lips upon theirs.

Eventually Inkay slowly pulled his lips away from Cerata's. They both kept their eyes closed to fully take in the feeling and rested their foreheads against one another's. Both took soft breaths as they took in the situation. Cerata slowly slid her hands down Inkay's shoulders and rested them on his chest. Inkay rubbed his hands up her arms until they cupped her face.

When Cerata opened her eyes to see Inkay's purple ones so close staring into hers, her heart skipped a beat. It fluttered when he once again pressed his lips against hers. Her grip on his shirt tightened again as her legs felt weak beneath her. She closed her eyes and again moaned into his lips.

The second time they parted, they again rested their foreheads on each other's, breathing a bit harder than previously. Cerata, as content as she was in this moment, had a question she needed to know the answer to.

"Will I ever see you again?" They both kept their eyes closed as they contemplated the answer. Ever so slowly they both opened their eyes. In Cerata's there was a longing look that pleaded for the answer she wanted. In Inkay's there seemed to be nothing but fear. He gently caressed her cheek with his thumb.

"I'm afraid of what would happen if you do…" Cerata didn't quite understand what he meant, but she knew a tear somehow escaped her eye. She closed her eyes and once again rested her head on his.

"Inkay…I think…I lo-" Inkay once again pressed his lips against hers, causing her breath to hitch in her throat. The kiss didn't last as long as the previous ones but Inkay was once again the one to break it. Cerata gave herself a moment to catch her breath before speaking again. "That dream I mentioned? I remember what it was about. We had li-" Inkay cut her off again with another kiss. Cerata was going to push him off and question why he wouldn't let her speak when the realization dawned on her.

She felt so sad in this moment. Yet at the same time she had never felt happier. Was this even a thing? She had so many emotions welling up inside of her she simply froze. Tears freely ran down her face as she let herself melt into Inkay once again. When he pulled away she kept her eyes closed and just let the tears flow. Inkay wiped them away with his thumbs and she slowly opened her eyes.

"You should go…" Inkay whispered. Those three words nearly shattered Cerata's heart, but she knew they were true. She nodded slowly and she ran her hands down his arms and he did the same until their hands passed over each other, trying to prolong the other's touch as long as possible. Inkay took off the turquoise Inkvader hat he had been wearing and placed it on Cerata's head.

Cerata ran her hand over the clothing and sniffed with a small smile. She turned and headed towards the grate just as the sun began to rise. She stood on it and paused. She looked back with a bigger smile though tears still fell from her eyes.

"Stay fresh," She said mimicking The Squid Sister's hand poses. Inkay chuckled as he shook his hands as well.

"Stay fresh," Cerata turned around and turned into an Octopus, effectively falling through the grates and back to the Octarian civilization. Inkay stood for a second before he turned and began heading back home. A small smile crossed his face as he chuckled softly to himself.

"Sorry Shiro. I let her get away," One more tear fell on the ground in Octovalley.

* * *

 **Don't that just break your little hearts? Now, if I was a really cruel person, I'd end the story right there. .3. But there's too many ends left too loose. But before you celebrate that the story is going to continue, remember that starting next chapter is going to be a war. Now ask yourself this, would you prefer to lovers to separated because of their societies, or would you want one, or both of them to die in a war between the two societies? Remember, this is rated M for a reason. Don't think I won't kill a motherfucker.**

 **I'm also going to go ahead and apologize for any errors in this, or the previous chapter. I literally, did not sleep Wednesday, went to sleep at 4 in the morning Thursday, and 4 again yesterday. But, in life's defense, yesterday the reason I was up so late was because of Splatfest while the other two days was because of school work. I apparently hate my body and am slowly killing myself.**

 **But I really wanted to get one of these chapters up at least while Splatfest was going on. It was funny, I was no more than five matches in and I was like "Yep. Burgers fukin one this one because my pizza teammates are literal shit,"**

 **But back to my apologies, I was typing and typing and I couldn't be bothered to do a full read through and glanced over it before submitting. Also the things I wanted to point out in the story and write about happened at different times. In previous chapters, line breaks happened when the scene changed completely. In these it was because time jumped and I feel weird about these chapters...It makes em feel rushed to me.**

 **And lonely, don't apologize. It's just me. I hate to keep people waiting. I'm too much of a nice guy. I tend to put other's wants above my own. Don't know why. I just do.**

 **I'm rambling. *clears throat* So, this "chapter" altogether was 12,090 words, and in it, we saw the squad play a few games, dance, get drunk and have a pretty awesome time. Cuttlefish however got his ass handed to him by Octameri. What will the Squid Sisters do when they find out? And what Inkling are they talking about? And why was Inkay being so cryptic with Cerata? Welp. You'll just have to wait til next time.**

 **Like always, I thank you for reading, special thank you to those who reviewed chap 7, and I hoped you enjoyed. Until next time.**

 **Astalabyebye,**

 **Bang.**


	10. Inkling vs Octoling

Inkay walked back to Inkopolis in a slow stroll. His head was down yet he was smiling to himself. He didn't know why though. Maybe his farewell with Cerata had his emotions in such a frenzy that his body didn't know how to deal with it and simply smiled instead. Or he was simply thinking of how his lips felt against hers.

Nevertheless, she was gone now and he wasn't happy about it. He knew his friends weren't as good at reading people as he was, but even he knew that he just let off this upset aura. So to avoid any and all questions, he simply walked around the city.

The sun was slowly rising in the distance. Inkay's friends would be up soon and wonder where both he and Cerata were. He already had a story thought up, but that wasn't a thing that made him happy. He would prolong the interaction for a while. And make sure to stay away from his big sister a lot longer.

* * *

Cerata took slow steps towards the Octarian civilization. She had long ago wiped away her tears and was now thinking about her arrival. Surely she would be questioned about a lot of things. Hopefully they won't think that she was purposely skipping out on training or anything.

She wiped her eyes again and raised her head. She was close. Just over this hill and she would be able to see it. She took slow steps as she approached the rise of land. They became even slower when she reached the top. She could see the buildings in the far distance kissing the horizon. But what was in the clearing between her and the city made her eyes widen.

Seemingly thousands of Octarian forces were assembled, hundreds of ships docked around them with one Octoling giving a speech on top of a stage. Cerata slowly made her way closer, the words of the speech eventually reaching her ears.

"And once he is within our grasp, we will crush anyone else who stands in our way!" The Octarians all cheered. Cerata knew that voice. If it was another voice she would've attempted to sneak into the crowd and figure out was going on, but she _may_ be able to get away with approaching the stage with the owner of this voice.

She took uneasy steps towards the stage, a few Octarians noticing her and beginning to whisper among themselves. The owner of the voice didn't even notice anyone approach until the eyes of the army focused on someone other than her. They turned to see the one who dares disturb their glorious speech. Their eyes widened and their mouth dropped as Cerata stepped on the stage.

"Sister?"

"Hey...Meri..." Octameri ran over to her sister and picked her up in a twirling hug.

"Dear Sister! Where have you been?! I've been worried sick!" Cerata returned her sibling's hug with a sad smile.

"It's ok sister. I'll tell you all about it later. But what's going on here?" Octameri held her sister at arm's length and gave a large smile.

"He's back Cerata. We found him. And he's going to lead us," Cerata tilted her head at her sister.

"Who's back? What are you talking about?"

"Octavio! He's alive! And we've liberated him from the Inkling scum! And he shall lead us to war!" Octameri screamed the last sentence to the crowd as they once again cheered. Cerata's heart dropped. She knew that there was a high possibility that eventually the two species would go to war, but she thought she had enough time to at least pitch the idea of peace.

Well. The war hadn't begun yet. Maybe she still could. Though her sister probably wasn't the best person to pitch the idea to, she had no choice. They seemed ready to go now.

"Dear sister...Maybe...this isn't a good idea..." Octameri's smile faltered a bit.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean...maybe...the Inklings aren't that bad..." Octameri's entire face darkened.

"Where have you been the last few days?" Octameri growled.

"Sister I-"

"WHERE. Were you?" Cerata took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

"I was in Inkopolis..." The crowd made a collective gasp.

"The Inkling city?!" Octameri's face was still filled with anger but now shock graced her features. "How and why were you in the Inkling city?!"

"Before you jump to conclusions, my entire sector was splatted by Agent 3. He destroyed all the ways back here so I had to go through the city to find another grate,"

"And you managed to survive this long?"

"Well...I met this...one Inkling. He protected me until we were able to get me back here," More murmurs in the crowd. Octameri's face lowered into a scowl.

"And this...Inkling is why you're questioning our decision?"

"It's not just him. I've seen their world and I've learned the truth. Of course not all of them are saints, but the majority are good people and-"

"ENOUGH!" Everything got quiet at the older Octoling's outburst. "It's obvious what happened here. You've let yourself be brainwashed by Inkling propaganda. Guards!Lock my sister in her room until she sorts out whose side she's on,"

"Wait, what?" Two guards approached Cerata from the side of the stage, a special stun gun in their hands since their weapons were useless against each other. "Wait! Meri you have to listen to me! Octavio's been lying to us all this time! He's been lying!" Octameri watched as the guards grabbed Cerata by her wrist and began taking her away. Shame, sadness, and anger crossing her features all at once. She turned back towards the group.

"Sni group. You're coming with me. We're going to get rid of the only problem in our plan right now. The rest of you, prepare your arms!" There was an echo of "YES SIR!" Before the Octarians dispersed.

Cerata struggled and protested the entire journey to her room. Once she reached her unwanted destination, she was quickly thrown inside and locked in as her sister demanded . She immediately began pounding on the door trying to get herself free.

"Let me out! You don't understand how much of a mistake you're making!" She cried as she banged on the door that barely even budged under her attack. She beat and banged on it for a while longer before she gave up. She turned around and looked at her room. A few days ago she was worried she'd never see the place again, but now she wouldn't care if she didn't.

More tears ran down her face at her new failure. The Octarians and Inklings were going to war. She put her hands to her mouth as more tears streamed. What if Inkay got hurt? He was obviously good at those Turf Wars, so there was a big chance that if a sudden war arose he'd take arms. But even on those Turf Wars he got splatted a few times. Cerata couldn't bear the idea of Inkay's permanent death.

She walked over to her bed, much smaller and less comfortable than the bed Inkay lent her, and drastically colder than Inkay's bed. She laid down and hugged her pillow close to her chest, crying even more at the thought of Inkay and his friends getting hurt. She was trapped in the place she had been so hopeful she'd return to. She curled into a ball as she remembered a song from the Inkling society that summed up her situation pretty well.

"But now I'm hoooome...Right where I belong. And I cannot stay stroong. And in my mind it's what I deserved all along. Just let me goooo. I'm trapped within my home. They left me all alooone. It's all I know, and as my fear grows, it's where I'll call my home,"

* * *

Callie and Marie had made preparations to visit Octovalley. They had decided to spend the entire day with their grandfather so they canceled all appointments they had for the day and got ready. They were heading towards the grate leading to his little shack of a home with breakfast from McSquiddies in a bag.

"Hey gramps! You home? We came to visit!" Marie called as she exited the grate leading to Octovalley, Callie close behind. The two immediately noticed that Octavio's entire prison was gone. They looked at each other with sudden panic in their eyes.

They ran up to the door to the small building and noticed it was still wide opened. They stepped inside and both gasped at what they saw. Marie dropped the bags of goodies while Callie clasped her hands over her mouth in shock. Not a single thing remained right side up. Everything was shattered, broken, flipped, or torn. The two split up, searching frantically through the wreckage.

"Gramps?! Gramps where are you?!" Callie called as tears welled in her eyes. Marie's panic was quiet, but just as strong. She frantically moved things and threw items to the side in a frantic search for her grandfather. She lifted a table and gasped at what she saw. Her grandfather laid underneath unconscious. His body was covered in bruises and it looked like he had taken several blows to the head.

Callie heard Marie's gasp and rushed over. She once again placed her hands over her mouth as tears fell from her eyes. Marie fell to her knees, slowly pulling her grandfather closer to her. She placed her fingers on his wrist, then his neck.

"Oh thank god..." She muttered as a tear ran down her cheek. "He's alive...quick Callie, we have to get him to the hospital!" Callie jolted out of her shock and looked around the room for an old rolling chair to transport the elderly Inkling more efficiently. As Callie placed Cuttlefish in the chair Marie slowly stood.

"Come on Marie! We have to hurry," Marie's body shook.

"You go ahead. I'm going to wait here,"

"What?! Why?!" Marie looked up, a few tears escaping her eyes, as well as a look of pure rage.

"I'm calling Agent 3,"

"Can't you do that at the hospital?"

"We can't risk our cover being blown. And I'll contact you the entire time. We have to get him out there and stop Octavio before something bad happens," Callie nodded before turning and exiting the shack. Marie pulled out her phone and began dialing Agent 3's number.

* * *

Inkay eventually headed back to his apartment. He slowly opened his door and his senses were overrun with the smell of breakfast. He glanced over towards his kitchen and saw his friends sitting at the table.

"There you are! Where have you been?" Lyra called as she placed plates in front of Kelp and Shiro. Breakfast was the same as the day before. No one cared. It was delicious.

"Yeah, where have you been? I've been stuck with these two making oogly faces all day," Shiro announced with a smile. Lyra blushed a bit with a smile of her own while Kelp simply shrugged.

"I had to...take Cerata to the airport. It was time for her to go home,"

"What? Already? We didn't even get a proper goodbye," Kelp had an obvious look of disappointment on his face. Lyra tilted her head in confusion.

"But...a lot of her stuff is still in there. Even the dress that I bought her..." Lyra's face was also slowly showing signs of sadness. Inkay shrugged his shoulders.

"A lot of that stuff is borrowed. The rest she didn't feel right about taking. So she left it here," The group was a little confused at the logic but didn't question it.

"Well that's sad. She left without so much as a goodbye. Well...are you going to eat breakfast with us? It's still nice and hot," Inkay shook his head.

"No thanks. I'm kind of tired. I'm going to go back to bed," With that, Inkay began to exit the room.

"Hey Inkay," Inkay stopped and looked back at Shiro, who had a serious look on his face. "I'm your friend. If you ever need to talk to someone, just let me know," Inkay gave Shiro a smile and a nod.

"Thanks man," With that, he retired to his room. When he entered, the original plan was to go to sleep, but upon laying down he noticed that his phone was lit up. He reached over to it and looked at the screen. His face tightened into a scowl. What could she want? He wasn't in the mood. But if he didn't answer now he'd never get to sleep. Pressing a few buttons he called the person back and awaited their answer.

"Hello?"

"Yeah. You called?"

"I did," There was silence. "Well? What do you want?"

"Are you ok?" Inkay groaned into the phone.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. I just got this bad feeling. I wanted to check up on you,"

"Well I'm fine. Thanks for checkin' in on me,"

"Just be careful alright? I'm taking Molly to go visit a friend of mine over in Squiville for the day," Inkay sat up in his bed.

"Squiville? That's a pretty far drive for just a visit,"

"Yeah well we decided we needed to catch up. And I have a _really_ bad feeling,"

"How bad?" Inkay questioned his tone growing a bit more serious.

"I don't know. I just don't quite feel right, so I thought being out country side would clear my head a bit,"

"Hm. Okay then,"

"For all I know it may be just a feeling. Anyway, watch yourself bro,"

"I'll be sure to do that,"

"I love you,"

"I love you too sis. Tell Molly the same,"

"Of course," Inkay hung up the phone and laid his head back down. Immediately his phone went off again. He put it to his ear and pressed answer, expecting his sister to have forgotten to say something. "Yeah?"

"Get over here," Inkay shot up once again as his eyes sharpened.

"We got a problem?"

"Major,"

"I'm on my way," Inkay hung up his phone and stepped out of his bed. He walked over to his clothes closet and pulled out a large back from behind all of his battle gear. He took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes. He turned towards the door to his room and exited it, walking towards the exit to his apartment.

"Guys, I gota run do something for my sisters. If you leave before I get back please lock the door and make sure Lyra is the one with the key. Lyra you are also in charge until I get back," Inkay immediately heard Shiro's protest. "What?!"

"You heard him,"

Inkay left his apartment and power walked to Inkopolis Plaza. He made himself look as calm as possible as to not draw more attention to himself that the big bag he held did. Upon reaching the plaza, he made sure no one was watching as he entered a grate to Octovalley.

When he emerged on the opposite side, he was wearing some type of armor. He immediately ran towards the house in front of the entrance and looked around in shock.

"Finally, you're here," He turned to his side to see Marie stand up and quickly embrace him.

"Who did this?" Inkay growled as he came out of the hug.

"We don't know. All we know is that they beat up gramps real bad. He's in the ER right now," Inkay growled again.

"Was it Octavio?"

"It's more than likely. But I don't know where he is,"

"Leave to me. I'll find him," Weapon in hand, Inkay lowered the tinted lens on his helmet and headed towards the door.

"Agent 3," He paused to look back at Marie.

"Be careful. Usually Octavio isn't this violent. Especially with gramps,"

"I will. What are you going to do?"

"Since you've been updated I'm going to go check up on gramps and Callie at the hospital. I bet Callie's losing her shit," Marie said heading towards the exit as well.

"He'll be fine. I know it," Inkay said patting her shoulder. Marie nodded and Inkay turned and ran off into the distance.

About a half a hour into the search, Inkay found a high up view point. He looked over the landscape for any sign of Octavio. Usually he didn't stray too far so there was a chance that he was still close. Inkay's eyes suddenly locked on something. It looked like a ship in the distance. Charging up a super jump, he headed towards it.

He didn't land right next to it of course. He landed a bit away and slowly made his way to it. He got close enough to see what appeared to be Octavio working on the ship. He made slow advances, weapon at the ready as he moved towards his target. Once the octopus was in range, Inkay spoke out.

"Turn around Octavio," There was no response. "I said 'turn around'," Still no response. Inkay took a small step forward and noticed something. The machine that Octavio was working on was actually a large balloon. Letting his guard down, he moved towards the placed his hand on his shoulder and forced him to turn around. Inkay's eyes widened.

Where Octavio's face was supposed to be was instead a picture of an Octoling sticking her tongue out and pulling down the skin under her eye. In slow motion, Inkay noticed that both 'hands' on the balloon had needles on them, and him turning the fact Octavio pushed them towards the balloon.

The balloon popped with enough force to send Inkay flying backwards. Inkay rolled on the ground in pain as his ears rang and his eyes blurred. He felt as if the entire ground was moving beneath him. He blinked his eyes clear rubbed his ears until the ringing stopped. He struggled to stand to his feet and when he did his heart dropped.

He was now in a box with glass walls. It was a big box mind you, with a enough room for a lot of movement, but it was a box nonetheless. What was worse was that the box was suspended high above the ground he sat on previously. But the worse thing was the snipers. They sat on the four corners of the box aiming their weapons at him. The box's walls were far apart enough that the snipers' weapons could reach him, but he couldn't reach them. And even if he made it to one of the walls his weapon would probably still not make it quite high enough.

Regardless he took battle position. He glared down the Octarians aiming at him and stood his ground. None of them fired however. He was extremely confused until he saw a large ship fly overhead. He was fully expecting them to just dump a metric ton of ink on him, but instead it seemed like they were only dropping a person. Inkay took cautious steps back as the figure approached.

The figure landed on Inkay's previous position with a loud _BAM_. Inkay eyed the figure as it slowly rose from its bowed position to its full height. Inkay remained battle ready on the outside, but inside his mouth dropped. A single Octoling stood before him. She wore the standard Octoling gear, but instead of the Octoshot she had these two gauntlets on her hands a boots of the same type.

Inkay knew that Octolings tended to "mature" faster than Inklings did, but wow, this one's figure could rival his sister's. Nonetheless she was the enemy. No ogling the enemy. Besides…Cerata wouldn't like that.

"I saw you staring," The Octoling said sultrily as she ran her hands around her breasts and down to her hips. Inkay raised an eyebrow. That was obviously a bluff. His helmet was tinted. "So you're the accursed Inkling that's been slaughtering our forces. Funny, I always imagined you more intimidating. Ah well," Inkay held his weapon towards the Octoling as she chuckled. Inkay took small glances to the snipers surrounding them.

"A pretty jumpy thing aren't you? Don't worry about them. They're just there to make sure you don't try to run away. It's just you and me _little Inkling,"_ A shiver shot up Inkay's spine. This Octoling's voice scared him because it sounded so familiar. He couldn't quite place it but it made him take a step back.

"What's the matter little Inkling? Zapfish got your tongue?" Inkay still didn't reply. Octameri scowled at him. "You Inklings are no fun," She grew a demented smile. "But you make excellent punching bags," Octameri shot towards Inkay much faster than he expected.

He fell into the ink beneath his feet and shot to the side as the Octoling slammed her fist into the ground. Inkay rose out of the ink a ways away and fired several shots at his opponent. Octameri jumped to the side out of the way and slid along the ground.

Inkay was confused. That area was inked with his ink. She shouldn't have been able to move so fluently over it without getting stuck. Following his previous position to hers, he noticed a trail of purple ink and stepped back at the realization.

Her boots were oozing ink, making it so that she didn't have to worry about where her feet went. Octameri stood up and slammed her fists together, ink exploding from the gauntlets in a small burst while she smiled evilly. Inkay could tell he didn't like those weapons. Unlike his, which were meant to get the kill and spread ink, hers was meant to hurt. She obviously wanted him to hurt first and die second.

He just had to stay away from her. Never bring gauntlets to a gun fight. He had the range advantage. Octameri held her fist back as if preparing to throw a punch. Inkay prepared himself for her to charge towards him. He was not prepared for her to throw a punch that lunged a blob of purple ink his way. He fell to his knees and leaned back just in time to dodge the attack.

He jumped back up to his feet and fired more shots towards his opponent. Octameri gracefully dodged left and right, doing short hops to get from point A to point B. Inkay kept firing as he took steps backwards. Octameri lunged forward, rolling towards Inkay as he growled at how easily she approached him.

Coming out of her roll she threw a hard punch towards Inkay's head. Inkay barely tilted his head just enough out of the way to avoid the attack. Using her other fist, Octameri threw a hard left hook towards Inkay's side. Just like before Inkay was able to dodge it just barely by taking a step back.

Inkay locked his foot on the ground and threw a punch with his weapon, firing it as his fist shot forward. In speeds Inkay could barely process, Octameri brought her hand back, effectively backhanded Inkay's weapon out of the way and leaving him open.

Before he could even fully process that situation, Octameri brought up her right leg, kicking Inkay in the chin and causing his head to fly back. It also knocked him off his feet. He flew a few inches away and landed on his back. He opened his eyes and focused them towards his opponent to see she was already in the air, the foot she kicked him with preparing to fall down on him.

He turned into a squid and fell into the ink, swimming away just as her foot crashed down on his location and turned the ink there purple. He rose from the ink a few meters away and once again aimed his weapon at her.

"Oh? What? Did your aim get better in the last ten seconds?" Inkay burst into a sprint to his side, firing blobs of dark blue at Octameri while simultaneously covering any purple ink along the way. Octameri began charging at him again. Just like before, she was effortlessly dodging his shots. When she got into range, Inkay reached back and pressed a special button on his ink tank. It dropped a burst bomb into his hand.

He threw the bomb in hopes that it would distract his opponent or even better do some damage. As he was preparing to throw the bomb, Octameri kept moving forward. She did turn her body to the side in a pose resembling a pitcher's stance. As the bomb approached her, she threw her fist forward. Her fist collided with the bomb causing it to go off. However, the amount of ink exiting her gauntlet and the rotation of the ink kept her from sustaining any damage.

Inkay's eye's widened beneath his tinted lens as the Octoling continued forward without delay. She threw another jab at Inkay, who reverted to a squid and did a small Super jump, just enough to get out of the way and land behind her. Right before he landed, he prepared to turn and fire.

Octameri beat him to the punch. Or in this case the kick. She slammed her foot into his back right as he touched the ground and sent him rolling. He rolled a few times before skidding to his feet. What else could this chick do?!

"Wow you fight cowardly. Stop, RUNNING!" Octameri charged again. This time she threw a volley of ink towards Inkay as she approached. Specifically his feet since he had to focus to make sure that he was not stepping in hers. Inkay did a short hop backwards and a sidestep to his left. He barrel rolled to his right and as he was rolling clicked another button on his ink tank.

This time he pulled out a seeker and tossed it forward. Octameri continued forward, jumping over the moving bomb and preparing to land on her hands. Thinking now would be the most opportune time to strike, Inkay took a long step forward, preparing to throw another Burst Bomb.

Octameri's body curled as if she was going to ball up. She tucked and rolled until her feet were facing Inkay and shot them both out towards him. Two blobs of purple ink shot towards the unprepared Inkling. They hit him square in the chest causing him to fly back off balance.

Continuing her onslaught, Octameri landed on her feet and lunged towards Inkay again. A bit dazed, Inkay lunged towards her and turned into a squid, narrowly missing her ink spewing fists and diving into the dark blue ink made by the seeker and once again getting distance.

He swam to the opposite end of the box and rose from the ink breathing heavily. He didn't know how to approach this girl. Everything he did she simply out did him. He had to get rid of her now. He devised a plan but it would be risky. He'd have to time every bomb perfectly so he'd have enough ink to actually take her out.

"Wow. Now I feel bad. I'm going to have to train the troops twice as hard if _this_ is what they are having trouble dealing with," Octameri taunted with a cocky smirk. Inkay slowly knelt down to one knee, hands firmly grasped on his weapon. "What? Surrendering already?" Inkay slowly reached back to his ink tank again. Octameri simply scoffed.

He took out a suction bomb and held it in his hand. Octameri simply waited for his next move. Inkay sat the bomb down right in front of him. Octameri raised an eyebrow as Inkay glared through his helmet. The explosion rang out and dark blue ink obscured Octameri's view of the Inkling. When the ink cleared, Inkay was gone, and in his place two Burst Bombs curved through the air and three Seekers came towards her. Two of the Seekers at first were heading away from Octameri one going to the right while the other left, but the locked on to her position and were heading towards her as well as one headed straight towards her.

Octameri scoffed again. She jumped to the side avoiding one of the Burst Bombs, then the opposite side to avoid the Seeker coming from her left. She jumped over the remaining Seekers and rolled forward to avoid the last Burst Bomb. She stopped her roll and took a knee, her eyes widening at what laid in front of her.

"Splat Bomb?!" The bomb exploded and sent her back a few paces. Inkay emerged from the ink behind her, gun aimed towards her head and preparing to fire. Out of the corner of his eye he saw how Octameri was moving so fast.

Her gauntlets were spitting out a rapid bursts of Ink, propelling her limbs forward faster than normally possible. He saw as once again her propelled fist back handed his weapon away just as the ink blobs exited it. Octameri lunged on top of Inkay, gripping both of his wrists in her hands and squeezing tightly. Inkay groaned as pain from both the literally iron grip on his wrists and the burning sensation from the ink they ooze combined. It wasn't long before the pain made Inkay's grip on his weapon loosen. Octameri knocked it away and held Inkay's hands over his head.

"There. Now was that so hard? Now, let's see what's under the hood," Octameri held both of Inkay's wrists in one hand and removed his helmet. She was greeted with a fierce glare. "Wow. You got some amazing eye's I'll give you that. I can't wait to see them beg me for mercy," She reeled back quickly and punched Inkay in his face. His head immediately started ringing from the impact. She rose him to his feet and threw another punch into his stomach. Then another. Inkay almost fell to his knees, but Octameri shifted her grip to his tentacles.

She held him up then brought him down onto her knee, knocking the air out of his lungs. She did a quick jab to his face before twirling and sending him to the wall. Inkay spun and connected back first to the glass barrier. The wall collision wasn't that bad. When Inkay opened his eyes he saw something that would no doubt hurt worse.

Octameri was running full speed. She planted her left foot in front of him and twisted all of her body weight into a punch directed towards his stomach. With the ink propulsions sending her fist even faster, the glass that Inkay was pushed up against cracked significantly, purple ink running along the fractured pieces. Inkay coughed up a lot of purple ink as his eyes bulged in their sockets.

Octameri pulled her fist back and Inkay fell to his knees and then his face, clutching his stomach. His features were still contorted to one of pain as Octameri grabbed him by the tentacles again and dragged him to the center of the box. She threw him face up on the ground and put a boot on his chest.

Inkay groaned, his entire body throbbing and burning from both the blows and the ink. Octameri smiled as she brought her foot up and slammed it down on Inkay's chest. The Inkling shrieked in pain as the metal boot collided with his body. Octameri's smile widened as she rose her boot higher and brought it down again. The third time she straddled Inkay, smacking his face to make sure he was awake.

"Hey, don't die on me just yet. You've got a few more pumps in you right?" Octameri's smile darkened drastically as she turned into an octopus and began charging. She super jumped herself straight up into the air, of course turning back at the peak. Inkay's eyes widened as he understood what she was about to do and attempted to get his body to move, but it was aching too much to get it out of the purple ink. Octameri twirled in the air once and fell back down. She put her feet together and crashed into Inkay's abdomen.

The pain came so suddenly the screech of agony that was about to escape Inkay's throat was instead replaced with a gurgle. Octameri reverted to octopus form and Super Jumped again, going a bit higher this time. Again she came crashing down feet first on Inkay. He let out a pained scream each time as Octameri's laughter joined it in the air.

The nearby Octarians looked on in mute horror as Octameri continued to use Inkay as a trampoline. At this point, every time she collided with the ground the ink on the ground would bounce up from teh force. Inkay was trying his hardest to move from beneath this monster of a woman but his body was too busy recovering from the last blow to move. So again and again he was stomped on, his screams mixing with ink rising from his throat.

"AUUGGGGHGGGHH!...AACKAAAGGGH!...UUUAAAAAGGGGGH!" Inkay's body shook from the amount of pain. Octameri landed once and straddled him again, running a finger across a streak of purple ink that leaked from his mouth.

"That's it. Almost there. You got one more in you right?" Octameri turned into an octopus and launched herself in the air again. The highest she's gone yet was still not enough as she reverted from her octopus form. She used the propulsion devices on her gauntlets to get a little bit more height before letting gravity bring her back down.

She wrapped her arms around her legs and began spinning as a ball. Halfway down she threw a fist forward, ink spiraling from the weapon. Inkay, accepting he wasn't going to be able to move, closed his eyes.

Octovalley vibrated with a loud _BOOM._ Octameri had successfully punched Inkay through the floor of the box. Fist still outstretched with Inkay at the end, she headed towards the ground smiling. Another crashing sound was made when Inkay's body hit the ground with the added force of Octameri's descent.

His body lay on the ground convulsing. Gurgling coughs were the only sounds he made as Octameri slowly stood up and dusted off her hands. She reached down and held his face in her hand, Inkay giving no resistance whatsoever.

"Come on. Open them eyes. Open em!" She said once again slapping his face as if trying to wake him up. Inkay's eyes opened but he wasn't a bit in control. His eyes rolled in their sockets as Octameri looked into them. She smiled yet again. Purple ink oozed from Inkay's noise, mouth, and ears. The white of his eyes were now purple in a bloodshot way and slowly leaked purple ink as well.

"Aren't you a little trooper? But I guess our fun's over," She said preparing to finish him. "Although…" Octameri looked up towards the ships coming in to pick them up and smiled. "I could let every Octarian enjoy this moment! Yes, that's what I'll do! Tomorrow, I'll publicly execute you in front of the entire Octarian species! Doesn't that seem fun?" She questioned. She grabbed him by his tentacles again. Octameri waved down the ship to come faster. Once it landed, an Octarian approached with Inkay's helmet.

"Should we keep this madam?"

"No. Junk it. I have my prize. Let us leave!" She declared. The Octarian threw the helmet out of the window and Octameri set a course for the Octarian civilization. She dragged Inkay by the tentacles into the ship, and into a prison cell.. And with that they left.

* * *

Marie was getting more nervous. She was getting a bad feeling again.

"We haven't heard from…you know who since they he left…"

"Do you think he's okay?" Marie nodded furiously.

"I know he is. He's gotten too good at this stuff to go down by some stray Octoling. I'm sure he's fine. Here. I'll even check into his helmet," , Marie's eyes widened as the scene displayed a ground shot of an Octoling ship taking off. She pressed several buttons to attempt to communicate with Agent 3 but he didn't respond.

Marie looked up with panick at Callie, who returned a look of panic herself.

"We have to find a way to help him now,"

* * *

 **So...yeah. Barely gave you enough time to get out of your feels before I put this in your face. Not a lot to talk about. Inkay got his ass whooped and stomped in and Cuttlefish is in the hospital while Cerata is locked in her room. And the worse part is Inkay is scheduled for execution! Oh noes! What will happen next?! You'll have to come back to find out.**

 **Again, I apologize for any mistakes made. It is 2:30 in the morning and I had the urge to write this chapter simply because all my classes are cancelled for tomorrow. Er. Today. I am beyond tired, and anything I want to mention I will tell in the next chapter. Thank you all for all the wonderful reviews. I truly appreciate all of them. Until next time.**

 **Astalazzzzzzz...**


	11. The Punching Block

**Another singing part in this one.**

Leader

 **Backup singers**

 _All_

 _ **Simple enough right?**_

* * *

It was dark when Cerata awoke. She wasn't sure when she fell asleep. But it was definitely a while ago. She swung her legs over the edge of her bed and just sat there. Had she missed the war? Was it still going on? What were the casualties? Cerata found herself wishing for Inkay's safety.

She sat quietly for awhile, her scared mind processing all sorts of horrible outcomes that might have befell the Inkling boy. After awhile, she heard the Octarian guards talking outside her door. She was going to simply ignore them until one of them said something about Agent 3. She stood from her bed and eased her way towards the door.

"No kidding? Where is he being held?"

"I think over in Octameri's personal dungeon. I've heard she hadn't stepped out of that thing once since she came back,"

"That's unfortunate for that guy. Oh well. Serves him right," Octameri knocked on her side of the door.

"Hey, are you talking about agent 3? Are you saying he's been captured?" One of the Octarians scoffed at her.

"What's it to you Inkling hugger? Gonna go liberate him?"

"Not him. He's wiped out a lot of us and I want to see what my sister is doing to him," The two Octarians shared an unbelieving look.

"I don't know. You seemed pretty intent on protecting the Inklings,"

"Look," Cerata's voice turned dark. "We are talking about the person who wiped out my entire squad before my eyes. I want, to see what Meri is doing with him. I know she's enjoying it, and if I have to tell her later that she missed out torturing Octarian enemy #1 with her sister, she'll fillet you both like she's doing that Inkling!" Both Octarians shuddered.

It was true that Octameri loved hurting people, and loved it even more with an audience. Her sister's gaze was always her favorite. With a sigh one Octarian approached the door.

"Alright, alright. Don't do anything hasty," He opened the door and Cerata stepped out. She gave a nod to the Octarians before heading towards her sister's quarters. The entire way there she was shot wary glares. They obviously didn't take too kindly to her defending the Inklings. She was positive some would've attacked her had she not shared blood with Octameri. When she finally reached her destination, she rapped on the door pretty loudly. There was a response after a few seconds.

"Who dares interrupt me now?!" The angry voice of her sibling yelled. The door was thrown open and the angry scowl of Octameri fell neutral. "Sister," She stated calmly. Cerata took a deep breath before speaking.

"I'm sorry about my reaction earlier...I heard you captured Agent 3," Octameri simply stared forward.

"Can I see what you're doing to him?" Octameri's face lit up as she grabbed Cerata by the hand, pulling her inside.

"I knew you'd come to your senses dear sister!" Octameri smiled leading her towards a door in the back of her room that led down a flight of stairs. Cerata braced herself for what she was about to see. There was one side of her that still held Agent 3 in a negative light for all the Octarian lives he slaughtered. Then there was the other side. The side that knew he was only fighting to protect his home from the true invaders that were the Octarians. Both side feuded in her mind, both looking forward to and fearing the scene about to be laid in front of her.

At the bottom of the stairs was a door and a one way window. Octameri took Cerata to the window and pointed in. The other side held a large circular room. In the center was an Octoling crouched down in front of the apparent Agent 3. Cerata couldn't see him from behind the Octoling, but she could see his hands. His hands were reaching out diagonally, spiked fish hooks stuck through them and stretching to opposite corners of the ceiling.

"What's that Octoling doing to him?" Cerata leaned over and asked her sister. In the same manner Octameri leaned over and answered.

"She's giving him a drink," Cerata raised an eyebrow but kept her gaze forward.

"A drink? That's actually pretty nice for your tastes," Octameri smiled a demented smile.

"It's saltwater," Cerata cringed. That was like a double whammy for both Octolings and Inklings. Their bodies dissolved in too much water and salt shriveled up their mostly liquid bodies in large doses. Though the water wasn't as bad since he was drinking it, there was no doubt he felt horrible from the inside out. The Octoling force feeding the Inkling stood and prepared to head towards the exit.

As she moved out of view, Cerata visibly paled. The Inkling sitting there on his knees was Inkay. Her Inkay. It took all her willpower to hold in her gasp and keep her hands at her side. Her eyes started to water but she fought back the tears.

"And you're positive this is Agent 3?" Her voice quivered but Octameri was too busy looking over her handy work to notice.

"Well, he was wearing the Agent 3 armor. He approached our Octavio decoy in an attempt to apprehend him. And while we were fighting, he shot dark blue ink. After I beat him into an inch of his life his tentacles turned turquoise. Who knew Inklings could do that?" Cerata stared forward in mute horror.

Inkay was there in nothing but a pair of shorts. His body had multiple lash marks and open wounds littered all across his torso, legs, and arms. Even his tentacles weren't spared from lacerations. Cerata began falling into a bit of denial. This creature in such a horrible state couldn't have been Inkay. Inkay was at home. He wasn't displayed here with holes in his hands, bleeding turquoise and purple ink.

The Inkling shook a bit. Very slowly he rose one leg up from his knelt position. He was obviously bleeding horribly yet he was still attempting to move. He fought to his feet and stood in the center of the room in order to loosen the pull of the hooks in his hands. Though both of his eyes were swollen, he managed to open them both and looked forward. Cerata's heart dropped as she couldn't deny those eyes.

"He's quite the trooper I'll give him that," Octameri laughed patting Cerata on the shoulder. "Everything I've done to him he returns a glare. Though at times I can see fear flash in his eyes right before I bring down the whip or I pull the chains in his hands," Octameri let out a laugh as Cerata did her best to keep it together. "You want to get a few hits in?" Cerata shook her head a bit too quickly.

"N-no. I'm good," Octameri looked over to her sister and noticed she was trembling sightly.

"...You aren't...sad, for this Inkling are you?" She growled. Again, Cerata shook her head.

"No! It's just...This is a new level of brutal for you," Octameri smiled at what she considered praise.

"Thanks! But I'm not even done with him yet. I found this really old scroll back in the valley. So many torture weapons. I'm having the Octarians conjure em up as we speak! Iron maidens, the lead sprinkler, the executioner's daughter, so many new things! And the perfect test subject for all of them," Cerata's heart was pounding in her chest. The person who she gave her first kiss to was the same person she feared the most in the world.

So many conflicted emotions were welling up inside of her as she stared at the Inkling looking so strong in his situation. There was a sound of a door opening up and Octameri turned towards the entrance while Cerata continued to stare forward like a horrid accident she couldn't look away from.

"My mistress. Two of the devices you requested are ready. You are welcome to use them if you so wish," A small Octarian said as he descended the stairs.

"Excellent. Bring them here,"

"Yes, uh, about that. You're going to have to bring him to them..." The Octarian cowered in fear of what would happen since Octameri liked to torture in her chambers.

"That's fine," She said, startling the Octarian. "I'll take him there myself. Cerata, will you come and see the new devices?" Octameri asked excitedly.

"N-no..." Cerata whispered still staring at Inkay. The longer she looked the more she noticed just how weak his stance was. His legs were trembling and his entire body wobbled like he was about to collapse at any moment. "I'm kinda hungry. Been in my room all day you know?" Cerata was so horribly entranced by the scene before her, she hadn't turned towards Octameri until she finished her second sentence, and her eyes didn't turn to her sister until she was finished speaking. Octameri simply nodded and gestured for her sister to leave.

Cerata power walked up the stairs and out of the room. She swore she felt sick. Horribly sick. She leaned against the wall, trying desperately to process the scene that she just exited from. She had to do something. But she couldn't decide what. Leave him? He was Agent 3. Devil incarnate to the Octarian race. Save him? He was so very nice. Her heart fluttered at the memory of their kiss.

She felt like she was going to throw up. She had to go back to her room. If anyone saw her in such distress they would probably lock her in her room again. She forced her legs steady and headed back. She had to lay down and think. This was the most stressed out she has ever been.

* * *

Agent 1 and 2 finally reached the area where Agent 3 had been in last. They scanned over the darkened area.

"Let's split up. Find anything signal me," Agent 2 whispered to her comrade. Agent 1 nodded and the two split up. They searched around the battle field for anything that could have given a sign to Agent 3's whereabouts. Agent 1 studied the small crater with purple ink scattered about it. In an area obscured by rocks, Agent 1 let out a gasp.

"Agent 2! I found something!" Agent 2 ran over to her friend and knelt down beside her as she pulled out Agent 3's helmet.

"Perfect. I knew it had to be around here somewhere," Agent 2 declared taking the item in her hands. "If I can connect the built in camera, I can see which way the ship was headed. Come. We don't have any time to waste," Agent 1 nodded as they bot rushed back to Cuttlefish's home in order to playback the helmet's recording.

* * *

Lyra, Kelp, and Shiro all returned to Inkay's apartment late, Kelp carrying a box of pizza.

"Inkay! Are you back yet?" Shiro called into the house. Lyra and Kelp went to the kitchen while Shiro went and knocked on Inkay's door. "Inkay...are you in there?" There was no response. He knocked on it a few more times.

"Is he not in there?" Lyra asked as she rounded the corner to the hallway. Shiro gently wrapped his hand around the door knob and twisted, surprised at how it turned in his hand. He opened the door just enough to see inside before closing it back.

"Nope. He's not," Lyra furrowed her brow before turning to the kitchen again.

"I'm going to call his sisters. See if he's still with them," Lyra said reaching for her phone. Shiro followed her to the kitchen and waited as she put the device to her ear. The group sat in silence as they waited for a response.

"Hey! Kiara! It's Lyra. Is Inkay still with you?...What do you mean?...About what time?... Oh...Okay. Thank you...Yeah I'll let you know too...Ok, bye," Lyra hung up her phone and stared at it with a look of worry.

"Well?" Kelp said looking up to his girlfriend from his seat. "What did she say?"

"She said...she hasn't seen him all day...She heard from him around the time he left earlier, but that was it," The squad looked around themselves in confusion and worry.

"But...wasn't he going to his sister's?" Lyra shrugged her shoulders.

"He said that, but Kiara hasn't seen him. She told us to contact her if we hear from him..." Kelp stood from his seat and stretched and put on his jacket.

"What are you doing?" Shiro asked his friend who had this serious look on his face.

"Well, for the first time, I think we've caught little Inkay in a lie. I want to see if I can see what he's up to. And if he's in trouble, I liked to think we could get him out of it,"Shiro grew a smirk while Lyra looked on in worry.

"Are you saying we should be looking for him?" Kelp threw his girlfriend a thumbs up and a smile.

"Yes!" Lyra still had this scared look on her face. Kelp walked up to her and put his hand around her. "Don't worry. He's probably sulking about Cerata leaving. I'm sure he's fine," Lyra nodded slowly, her look softening but not disappearing completely.

"Well what are we waiting for? We should go now!" Shiro called heading towards the door, Kelp and Lyra following.

* * *

Agent 1 & 2 were sitting in Cuttlefish's home, Agent 2 furiously typing on a computer.

"Ugh?! Why is this thing so busted? It looks fine!" She growled as she hit the helmet connected to the computer a bit.

"Calm down. Don't make it worse," Agent 1 whispered. "Just try again," Agent 2 let out a yawn and continued typing.

"Ok. I think I got it. Let's try it...now," She pressed a button and the screen flickered. A video opened up of the helmet being put on. Agent 1 and 2 fast forward the video until Agent 3 found Octavio. They watched as he turned him around and the balloon popped. They watched him get trapped and they saw the Octoling that knocked him around, all through his eyes.

"Who...was that?" Agent one asked in fear. From the direction the helmet was thrown when it was removed, they didn't see Agent 3 get stomped through the floating box. They did see an Octarian pick it up and take it to the Octoling, who threw it to the side as it watched the ship leave.

"I don't know...but," Agent 3 pause the screen as the ship was far into the distance. "We have an idea where they're going," Agent 3 shrunk the picture a bit and opened a map of Octovalley. Using where they found the helmet, Agent 3 drew a line on the direction the ship went and then mapped the kettles in that direction.

"Well? Find anything?"

"Unless they made a ninety degree turn somewhere, there's only one kettle the way they went, so our best bet would be that one,"

"Well let's go! We have to go get Inkay! I mean Agent 3..." Agent 3 printed out the map and closed the laptop.

"That's a good idea if you want to get us killed. Did you see what that Octoling did to Agent 3? We should rest for tonight and get up early to head out," Agent 1 sighed.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's get some sleep,"Agent 3 looked around the house, in a condition slightly more organized than when they found it.

"We should probably not sleep here. They might come back," Agent 3 said picking up the helmet and her laptop. Agent 1 nodded.

"Let's go to the studio and sleep there since it's so close," The two nodded and quickly moved to their destination. Agent 2 clutched the helmet as she placed the laptop in its carrier. "You think he'll be alright over night?" Agent 2 shrugged as a look of worry and fear crossed her face.

"We can only hope,"

* * *

Cerata stood leaned up against a hall. There was a door on the hallway perpendicular to the one she stood in, and she was staking it out. It was currently 1:17 in the morning and Octameri still hadn't emerged from the chamber. She feared more so for Inkay's sanity than his life at the moment. Sure he was scheduled for execution, but that wasn't what was going on now. Now he was being tortured, and the victims of Octameri's torture methods usually broke until the point they wished they were dead., even after they were released.

Eventually, Octameri finally emerged from the door. Cerata peaked around the corner and watched as her sister walked the other way towards her room. She waited a moment before heading towards the door that held the Inkling.

* * *

Inkay laid on the ground in nothing short of agony. Octameri had finally left him alone and right now, he couldn't be bothered to move. His state was so bad Octameri had not bothered to even chain him up. Inkay didn't have the strength to move. He laid on the ground and simply awaited for something to happen. He didn't know what time it was, but he was tired. He closed his eyes, the only difference being the blurriness he was seeing was gone and hoped sleep would come to him.

The door opened and light flooded into the room. Inkay would've groaned but he couldn't even muster up the strength to do that. The light from the hallway only flashed over his position for a moment before being shut off, the extremely dim lights in the room once again barely making a difference. The split second the light flashed over him, it hurt his eyes. He had been in darkness for so long it'll take awhile to adjust to the light once again.

The person who entered was quiet, so Inkay didn't move. He simply waited for whatever new horrors awaited him as he lay on the ground.

"So you were Agent 3?" Inkay didn't quite recognize the voice. His senses were all blurred from all the new devices Octameri used on him. Despite his pain, he mustered up the strength to at least turn his head towards the voice. He opened an eye and was only able to make out the silhouette of an Octoling. "If you were Agent 3, why did you bother housing me?" Inkay's heart dropped. Cerata was the one talking to him.

He let his head rest on the floor and closed his eye. He focused on what she said and tried to pinpoint an emotion. She sounded...angry. He probably deserved it. Octameri made sure he knew how much Octarians hated him. Cerata most likely felt the same. She had given her first kiss to not just the enemy, but the main enemy and slaughterer of her forces. She had to hate him.

His assumptions were confirmed when the door once again opened and closed. Inkay simply laid there. Again, he prepared to try and fall to sleep. Again, the door opened and Inkay mentally groaned. Again the person was silent, but he heard footsteps approaching. His head was lifted and Inkay tensed, his body screaming in pain at being moved.

"Drink," Was the sole response. Inkay fought to turn his head away from the cup that brushed against his lips. His mind went into a panic of it being more salt water. It already felt like he was dissolving from the inside out. He couldn't take any more of that stuff. "Inkay please," Inkay's eyes slowly opened. His head was resting on Cerata's lap as she held something to his mouth.

Cerata's eyes were watering and her voice was wavering. Inkay slowly opened his mouth and allowed the substance to run down his throat. It was Ink Gel. Since too much water was hazardous to Inklings and Octarians, Ink Gel was it's substitute. It was nice and cool, but still caused pain to Inkay as it soothed his throat and filled his stomach.

Cerata was freely crying as Inkay struggled to drink. He looked simply horrible. So much worse than before. His body was littered with more wounds as the previous ones were still open. Various parts of his body were burnt and turned a sickly brown , some much more severe than others, and his limbs had marks as if they had been stretched. Turquoise and purple leaked from his body as Cerata cradled him..

Inkay finished what somehow classified as a drink and coughed, the action alone causing his body even more pain. Inkay turned his eyes towards Cerata and moved his mouth, trying to make words.

"w-wh-,"

"Ssshhhhh," Cerata said placing a finger to his lips to silence him. "Save you're strength. You need all of it," Cerata whispered to him. Inkay closed his eyes and just rested on Cerata. She gently rubbed his head, the feeling causing Inkay to let out a calm breath. It hurt to see Inkay in this position, yet it brought a smile to her face at how calm he was in her embrace. Others who had to endure Octameri's wrath for half this long couldn't get close to anyone.

"I'm going to find a way for you to get home...I promise you," She said through her tears. Inkay didn't hear her. He had already drifted to sleep.

* * *

Octameri awoke about an hour before sunrise. She stretched her limbs with a dark smile on her face. Today was the day. She was going to splat that damn Agent 3 with an audience consisting of the entire Octarian race. Then she was going to head over to Inkopolis and destroy everything the Inklings ever loved being led by their glorious leader.

She quickly prepared for the day, putting on her Octo gear and gauntlets. By the time she was finished she heard a knock on the door. She was in such a good mood that she didn't even yell at the person. She walked over to the door, a small bounce in her step and opened the door.

"Oh. Good morning sister," Cerata stood at the door, with a look on her face Octameri couldn't quite read.

"Good morning sister. Listen...we need to talk,"

* * *

Inkay woke up to his tentacles being forcefully yanked, pulling him up from the ground.

"Move it ya punk! You're going to the chopping block!" An Octolig yelled into his ear as he was pulled to his feet. Another Octoling placed special handcuffs designed to hold boneless beings like the two species on Inkay's wrists. The first Octoling dragged him from his confinement with a leash and a collar with a laugh.

"I can't wait to see you explode in an flash of purple. Just like you made so many of our comrades explode in blue," One growled at Inkay as she walked faster than necessary, knowing he was having trouble getting his wounded body to keep up.

"Speaking of, wasn't Agent 3 colored dark blue?" The other one asked.

"Octameri and the squad that went with her saw this Inkling change from dark blue to this turquoise color after he got the shit beat out of him a while,"

"Uh. Neat. I wonder what other colors he can turn," The second questioned as she kicked Inkay's leg from under him. He fell on the ground, the first Octoling not bothering to even glance his way as she kept pulling.

Inkay was lead through several halls before the Octolings opened the door to the outside world. The morning sun barely peaked over the horizon as shouts of hatred and excitement bellowed at Inkay's arrival. The area was completely overrun by Octarians excited to see the infamous Agent 3 finally die.

They were on both sides of the path that lead to the stage Inkay was going to be executed. It wasn't long before the path lead onto a road of rocks, jagged and uneven. The spectating Octarians simply stood on both sides of the road yelling various things at the Inkling while the Octolings escorting him of course walked on the pointy rocks.

Their boots made the stones a mere inconvenience, but each step Inkay took was made more painful. He stumbled a few times and the sharp rocks opened newly closed wounds. The sharp rocks cut at his flesh every time he fell, and he would hurry to get back to his feet before the Octoling dragged him across the stones more.

The entire walk was roughly four miles long. Their destination eventually peaked at the horizon. It was a large outside stage, easily inkable. There was a massive crowd there to add to the one following the Inkling to his demise.

A single Octarian stood in the middle of the stage and began singing as he approached, the entire crowd waiting his back up.

"What did you think you were playing in the shadows of your mind?"

" **What did you think you were playing in the shadows of your mind?"**

"What is it you think you see, from the signs in your mind?"

 **"What is it you think you see, from the signs in your mind?** "

"Ooh, well the nights began harder and harder as the time slowly flied! And the memories repeated 'till all of your dreams made you cry!"

" **And the memories repeated 'till all of your dreams made you cry!"**

"Forced down, holding back your Tears,charging closer to the death we desire!"

" **Desire!"**

"You are required!"

" **Required!"**

"Your souls about to meet it's master!"

 _"It's about to expire!"_

"Maybe it's the end you seek, but it results in defeat. Unleash the nightmare inside!"

" **MARCH!"**

 **"** TO THE BATTLEFIELD ANOTHER DAY TO DIE, WE GO!"

" **ONWARD!"**

"THROUGH EVERY LITTLE SHADOW, WE PROCEED!"

" **TO THE NIGHTMARE!"**

 **"** WE ALL SALUTE YOU TILL WE SIT AND YOU DIE! WE'RE MARCHING ONWARD TO THE NIGHTMARE!"

The yells and screams only grew louder as Inkay got closer and closer to the stage. The crowd that walked the journey with them merged with the bigger crowd around the stage while the Octolings dragged Inkay on stage. The Octarian finished his song as the crowd cheered and he left the stage. When Inkay stood in the middle, they both kicked him behind the knees, bringing him to the ground.

The Octolings exited the stage the way they came as the crowd cheered and laughed at the act. It wasn't long before Octameri came from a building to the right side of the stage. She walked on stage and in front of Inkay before she smiled down on him. She placed her boot on his chest and pushed him over, his weakened body giving little resistance. The Octarians watching again cheered. Octameri turned towards them with a smile.

"Settle down...settle down," The crowd's volume slowly died down, a few getting last minute insults in. "This here, is the accursed Inkling keeping our precious zapfish from us!" The crowd booed, causing Octameri to gesture for them to calm down again. "He has killed many of our people! Spraying our blood across the landscape to keep our power supplies from us! Well no more!" The crowd cheered as Octameri held her hands to the side.

Two Octolings approached from both sides of the stage, each one equipping one of Octameri's gauntlets to her hands. They slinked away as they finished and Octameri slammed her fists together, a loud clanking sound ringing through the area. Inkay struggled to roll over and at least get back to his kneeled position.

"This day! We will finally be rid of him! And once we are rid of him, we will charge Inkopolis!" Inkay's eyes widened the best they could. They were going to charge Inkopolis? That wasn't good. That wasn't good at all. Not that any of his situation could be classified as good. For him at least.

"We will bathe their world in our color! We will take back what is rightfully ours! And Octarians! Will return to the surface as its new owners!" More shouts of approval rang through the area.

* * *

Agent 1 and 2 wondered into Octarian territory. There was a bunch of noise going on when they entered but it had sense died down. They moved across the mountain area and looked for any sign of any thing important. It wasn't long before they saw a literal ocean of Octarians.

"Whoa," Agent 1's mouth dropped at the sight. "You think he's down there?" Agent 2 pulled out an E-liter scope. Looking trough the scope, she looked over the area.

"I see him. Yeah, he's down there. But it looks like he's on the chopping block," She said as she quickly stood and swung her weapon over her shoulder. "We have to move quick," Agent 1 nodded as they both ran forward.

* * *

"So, little Inkling. You have anything to say for yourself?" Octameri said with a smile. Inkay simply turned his head up towards her with the best glare he could muster. "A man of few words. You were a strong one I'll give you that," Octameri's gauntlets began vibrating as they generated an excessive amount of ink. She slowly circled around Inkay, who watched until she got behind him. He looked forward, looking over the sea of Octarians who were awaiting him to die.

Welp. Looks like this was it. Time seemed to slow drastically for Inkay. He took in all the little details. The buildings in the background, the many faces of the crowd, even the lines on the floor he knelt on. He failed. He failed as the third agent. He failed to protect Inkopolis. He failed to keep his promise to his sisters. And now he was here. Battered...bruise...burned...other words that didn't start with 'b'. He was them all.

A tear almost ran down his cheek as he thought of all his friends and family. Their smiling faces gracing his memories as he dug through them one last time. He never got to take Molly to a Turf War. Kiara's words about how he was Molly's everything crossed his mind and his eyes watered. He was really letting her down. Maybe this was the big thing Kiara meant. At least she was out of Inkopolis to avoid the brunt of the sneak attack.

Then Inkay's mind switched to Cerata. Where was she? Of course she was gone when he woke up. She couldn't be seen nurturing a prisoner of war. She was probably somewhere avoiding his execution. Or maybe his pain driven brain simply imagined the entire scene the night before and Cerata was in the crowd rooting for him to die like the others. Oh well.

The sun rose high enough to make Octameri's shadow rest on the ground in front of Inkay. He could see her raise her fist over her head. He closed his eyes, unintentionally making a tear fall. Octameri brought down her fist at a speed that made his tentacles quiver. It stopped less than an inch over his head, ink dripping on him causing it to burn.

"Lucky for you," Octameri simply pushed him over again, walking towards the left side of the stage a few feet. "My, _darling_ sister has offered a challenge," The crowd murmured among themselves as Octameri gestured towards the building she had exited. Inkay didn't bother moving again. He simply turned his head towards the building. He was shocked to say the least as Cerata approached the stage, clad in full Octoling gear right down to the mask. The only difference being that she wore gauntlets and boots similar to Octameri, though a bit smaller to fit her.

"My sister wishes for me to _spare_ him," Cerata hissed. "But I, of course don't want to," The crowd booed Cerata as she walked up on stage, standing an equal distance from Inkay, though on the opposite side. "So to challenge my authority, she decided to challenge _me_!" More murmurs within the crowd. "So on top of the execution of public enemy number 1, you get to witness me teach a rebellious Octoling her place!" The crowd cheered.

Another Octoling walked on stage, grabbing Inkay by the tentacles and dragging him to the corner of the stage out of the way. The Octoling then shot a spot of purple ink to throw him into, to make sure that he was stuck and hurting. Cerata winced at his treatment causing Octameri to chuckle.

"What's wrong sister? Do you care about Inklings that much? That you'll betray your own kind? That you'll take the brunt of everyone's hatred so blatantly?!" Octameri shouted. Cerata simply nodded.

* * *

"Well this turn of events is...interesting," Octavio sat in a dark room, machinery echoing behind him. He was watching the execution on several screens and was sitting in a throne made for him. "What do you think?" In the darkness beside him sat a pair of red eyes, seemingly half-lidded. It remained silent.

"Oh come on. Surely even you couldn't have seen this coming," Octavio reach over and nudged the figure, even in the darkness it could be seen recoiling. "An Octoling falling in love with an Inkling. Pffft. They're going to get what's coming to them," The figure remained silent still.

* * *

"Well then dear sister, show me your resolve! Show me how strong your will is!" Octameri held her fist up to Cerata, the latter mirroring the motion. The crowd began either cheering Octameri or booing Cerata. Octameri charged forward, demented smile on her face.

She threw a right jab at Cerata's chest, the latter crossing her arms to block the attack. The gauntlets connected, a loud bang echoing through the area. Octameri quickly threw a kick towards Cerata's ankle. Cerata raised a leg to avoid the attack then shot the leg towards her sister.

Octameri leaned her body and raised her arm, allowing the kick to skid across the gauntlet instead. She then grabbed Cerata's leg and twirled her around, throwing her towards the left side of the stage. Cerata skidded a bit but didn't fall over, quickly turning back towards her sister.

Cerata raised her fists as she and Octameri charged again. Cerata threw the first punch. She aimed towards Octameri's hip while her sister simply stepped slightly to the side to dodge it. Octameri threw several jabs with her right hand while Cerata blocked and dodged them the best she could.

Cerata eventually threw a jab with her right hand, thinking she found an opening. Octameri replied by immediately punching Cerata's hand with her left. Still applying force to her left, she threw another punch with her right. Her gauntlet connected with Cerata's face, causing her to spin and stumble faster.

Before she had a chance to recover, Octameri was upon her. She took quick hooks to both of her sides a jab to her stomach before finishing with a strong right hook to her cheek. Cerata spun before falling to her knees, coughing a bit from the blows and turning towards her sister. It took a moment before she rose to her feet. Once she did she raised her fists again, causing Octameri to laugh.

"Why do you fight for him? He's the enemy! Think about what you're doing!" Cerata took the time to rub her cheek.

"Well the enemy has shown me nothing but kindness while my sister just punched me in the face," Octameri growled. Cerata lowered her hands and reached in her back pocket. Everyone watched as Cerata took something out of her pocket. She slowly removed her goggles and threw them to the side. She unfolded the item she brought from her pocket and everyone gasped.

In her hand was a turquoise squidvader cap, the squid on the front out there for all to see. She looked her sister in her eyes as she put it on her head. Octameri's expression quickly changed from shock to fury.

"I fought you as an ally at first, but now I will crush you like the traitor you are!" Octameri charged forward at speeds much quicker than previous. Cerata once again rose her fists to prepare herself. Octameri threw a strong left hook while Cerata rose both of her arms to block it. She successfully blocked it, but she still skidded back a few inches.

Octameri immediately threw volley after volley of punches towards Cerata's arm shield, each blow echoing throughout the area and causing Cerata's arms to ache more and more from the force. Cerata decided she needed to go on the offensive. She took a step back and prepared to bring a fist back to swing.

Her sister however immediately followed her step and threw a punch into the new opening Cerata made for a split second. Her gauntlet collided with her sister's chest, Cerata stumbling from the blow. Defenses lowered, Octameri threw a strong right hook around the remainder of Cerata's makeshift shield and hit her in the face. Cerata blindly threw a punch that her sister easily dodged.

The sadistic Octoling swung a light uppercut into her sister's stomach, hooking the opposite leg around her sibling's and pulling it, causing her to fall backwards. Immediately after she started her descent, Octameri grabbed her by her collar. With a forceful pull, she yanked Cerata in a full body uppercut to her stomach, Cerata gasping at the attack.

The attack was strong enough to lift Cerata off the ground and forced her to lean over Octameri's shoulder. Not quite done yet, Octameri threw a similar punch with her other hand, once again lifting Cerata off the ground. Using the ink propulsions on her gauntlets, she continued the forceful uppercuts until Cerata was above her head. Even then she only increased the speed of the punches, effectively keeping her opponent airborne.

Octameri threw the rapid volley of punches all over Cerata's torso before cocking back and sending a full powered right hook to Cerata's chest, dragging and slamming her into the ground. Cerata bounced a full foot off the ground before resting on her back. She curled in and held her stomach as the crowd cheered at the amazing display. Octameri approached Cerata as she writhed on the floor.

"What did you think would happen from this sister? I was always the superior fighter. This, to a lesser degree, always happened,"

* * *

On an elevated part of the mountain nearby, Agent 1 and 2 just got into position to watch the display. Agent 3 was looking through her scope down onto the stage.

"I see him. He's within range. But we need a distraction," She scanned over the sea of Octarians opposite the stage from them. "A big distraction,"

"You got. Give me a moment,"

"Work quickly. We don't have much time,"

* * *

"And you go and throw your life on a line for an Inkling. INKLING!" Octameri walked over to her sister and flipped her over, straddling her much like she did Inkay. "I hate to do this to you dear sister, but it seems I have to BEAT THE TRAITOR OUT OF YOU!" Cerata's eyes widened as Octameri raised her hands over her head. Cerata rose her arms to cover her face but Octameri was relentless with her blows.

She threw jabs and hooks and simply brought the bottom part of her fist down on Cerata's head, the ring in her skull and pain from the attacks eventually making her defenses drop til they were nonexistent. Octameri still didn't stop. Though she did resort to just throwing hooks into Cerata's jaw.

The crowd was going crazy at this point. Inkay flinched at every punch Octameri landed as they vibrated the ground. Cerata's figure had pretty much gone limp under her sister.

"Stop...it..." Inkay groaned out, trying to pull his body out of the purple ink. Under the sounds of heavy blows and a cheering crowd no one heard.

"Stop...it." Inkay had fought his way to his knees, leaning on his head for support. He brought up his foot, getting a grip on the ground beneath him.

"I said..." Though he was still low to the ground, he had manged to get on one knee. Him rising up of course alerted the nearby Octolings, who moved to restrain him. Before they could however,

"STOP IT!" With his raised leg, Inkay mustered enough strength to push out of the purple ink. His eyes were locked on to Octameri with a fiery hatred as she continued to wail on her sister, blissfully unaware of the Inkling charging her location. Though Inkay's arms were still handcuffed behind him, he didn't deter.

With rage filled eyes, he body-slammed Octameri off Cerata. He landed on top of a more than surprised Octoling. Straddling her, Inkay threw his head back until it was almost touching the ground behind him. With as much force as he could, he swung forward, slamming his head into Octameri's. He did it again. And Again. Simply surprised by being attacked and again from the pain of the headbutts, Octameri didn't react until three headbutts in.

She grabbed Inkay by his forehead on his fourth descent and slammed her fist into his jaw, effectively rolling him off of her.

* * *

"Agent 1...I think we're running out of time. Where's that distraction,"

"Just give me a second. I'm almost done," Agent 1 responded through a communicator on Agent 2's collar.

"Huuurrrrry,"

* * *

Octameri stood growling. Rubbing the purple spot forming on her forehead. She stomped over to the struggling Inkling and grabbed him by his tentacles.

"Just couldn't wait to die huh? Fine then. You win. You get to die," Octameri's gauntlets began to vibrate and practically explode purple ink. "Got any last things to say? Or are you going to keep up this silent protagonist shit?" Octameri growled. Adrenaline gone from his system, Inkay turned his head up towards Octameri.

"Octo go fuck yourself,"

"That's the spirit," Octameri raised her fist over her head.

"CAAAALLLLIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE"

"I GOT IT!" There was a _FOOSH_ sound that echoed through out the area.. All Octarians , including Octameri looked around in confusion until one looked up and saw the meaning of the sound.

"INKSTRIIIIIKEE!" It yelled as everyone looked at the incoming bomb. They all scattered, Octameri dropped the Inkling in her hand and stepped back in fear at realizing the bomb was centered directly for her. She turned and quickly ran from the stage to avoid the explosion. Cerata, slowly gaining back her senses, too start to move away from the area, jumping off the stage and taking shelter behind it as the bomb lowered. Inkay looked up and watched as it landed directly on him.

It felt amazing. He could feel some of his minor wounds heal and overall body ached a bit less. He didn't even bother questioning where it came from. He was just grateful for it. He closed his eyes and just enjoyed the feeling. He was dragged from his thoughts as he was shot in the face with a sniper blast. He opened his eyes and looked towards the stream of turquoise ink that lead into the distance.

"Well?! What are you waiting for?! A formal invite?!" He could hear someone yelling at him. He was about to try to pin point the voice but realized it'll be better to just go to them. He once again struggled to a knee before finally standing, taking a few steps before turning into squid form and swimming through the ink.

Octameri looked up just in time to see him fall into the ink. She growled as ink leaked from her gauntlets and she charged. Cerata stood once the inkstrike was over with, She saw Inkay swim past her then glanced over to see her sister chasing, throwing blob after blob at Inkay attempting to cut off his path. Agent 2 attempted to snipe down the Octoling but it seemed she knew when every shot was about to be fired and easily avoided it.

Cerata backpedaled, throwing punches to send blobs of ink at her sister in an attempt to slow her down. Octameri didn't even both to dodge the attacks from her sister. Purple ink couldn't hurt her. Cerata knew this. But what else could she do? She would get wasted going for a fist to fist. But she needed to stop her. Tears welled up in her eyes at how useless she was being. If only she was an Inkling! She could change colors into something that could actually hurt Octameri.

Cerata closed her eyes in rage and simply threw faster punches, angry at the fact she was pretty much not doing anything. Why couldn't she be born an Inkling? She wouldn't be here. Inkay may not have been here. She would be of some use to him at the least. Her rage grew as she threw more and more punches. Damn this purple ink! Damn it to hell! She wanted to be another color. She wanted to be Inkay's color. Not this color.

There was an _OOMPH!_ sound. Cerata opened her eyes as Octameri was on the ground, a large blob of turquoise ink on her head. Still backpedaling, Cerata looked around for the cause. Surely not the sniper. She'd be dead. She looked over to a group of Octolings who had ran around the corner of the stage, weapons drawn. They froze at the sight of her.

They murmured words Cerata didn't care to understand. When she turned to run something caught her eyes. Her right gauntlet was leaking turquoise. Her eyes widened as slowly, the purple ink oozing from her left gauntlet turned the shade of blue as well. She was in such shock she froze in place, examining her tentacles with wide eyes.

A shout of "GET HER!" shook her out of her thoughts as she glanced back. Octameri appeared to be in just as much shock as her as she was simply staring slack-jawed in the same position. Cerata, with her wish come true, Cerata changed into an octopus and followed Inkay's path. Once she was at the base, she threw down a Splash Wall preventing the other Octolings from following. When she turned she saw a person helping Inkay to run. She quickly followed. By the time she caught up they had met with a third person.

"Oh my god he looks terrible!" One said. "We got to get him back quick!" The one with Inkay's arm slung across her shoulder nodded. They began moving until Cerata called out to them.

"Wait!" They both turned and the one not holding Inkay stepped forward, pointing a weapon at her.

"Don't come any closer or I'll shoot!" She screamed as the other began taking slow steps backwards with Inkay. Instead of attempting to point out that her weapon wouldn't work on her since they were both turquoise, Cerata went to focus on the more important matters.

"I just want to come with! I set up a Splash Wall so that'll buy us some time but not much. We have to hurry!" The two Agents gave the Octoling an unsure glance.

"It's ok...she's a...friend," Inkay muttered out, earning sympathetic looks from the two Agents at how hurt he sounded.

"Alright. But no funny business!" Agent 1 growled as Cerata nodded. Cerata assisted Agent 2 to support Inkay and the four ran.

* * *

 **Whoo that was long one! And so much stuff! As much as I like to talk to you guys, I really need to be studying for my exams, so I'm going to thank you for the reviews, respond to some previous ones, and bid you adieu.**

 **To Guest, whoever you may be, that's why I had the phone scene like that to fuck with you. :p**

 **To Pizzarobot63, you also can't fight metal gauntlet wearing Octolings or have an apartment in single player. There's a reason its fanfiction and I'm not cashing in dough for this story. .3.**

 **To everyone else: love you guys. Until next time.**

 **Astalabyebye,**

 **Bang**

 **P.S. One of this chapters is going to have a big as fuck Author's note section of me recollecting everything I wanted to say but missed. look forward to that or ignore it when it comes. Your choice.**


	12. Octarian Inkvasion

"After them! Hurry up! Get that Splash Wall down!" An Octoling yelled as everyone fired at the defensive sub-weapon. Under fire by a small army, the Splash Wall didn't last that long. The thing blocking their path gone, Octolings charged after the wounded agent and his saviors. However, there was a voice to stop them.

"Let them go," Everyone paused in confusion and looked towards the owner of the voice.

"But...they..."

"Will be headed to Inkopolis. Just like we will. Everyone to your stations! We will be moving out immediately!" Octameri yelled to all the by-standing Octarian forces. They all scattered, going to their designated posts. Octameri turned to head towards hers as well. Octarians daring to steal a glimpse at the gauntlet wearing brute were surprised to see her features not contorted in anger, but instead in contemplation. She didn't say anything as she headed towards her station.

* * *

"Damn it! Damn it all! He was suppose to die! Where did those Inkling scum come from anyway?!" Octavio was bouncing in rage at Agent 3's escape. His face was contorted in anger as the red eyes beside him simply stared at the screen.

"Did you notice that Octoling changed colors?" Octavio flinched and turned towards the owner of the voice.

"No, I missed that on the premises an ENTIRE ARMY let ONE SQUID GET AWAY!" Octavio stood up with a huff as the eyes seemed to glare at the side of his head. "But Octameri is readying the troops. I should head to my ship. Will you be joining us in taking over the city?" The figure shook his head. "And why not? You're an excellent fighter. And I would love for your beats to be playing during the fight,"

"No," The figure said firmly. Octavio's eyes narrowed and the figure's did the same. "If you want me there that badly I'll send my regards electronically, so you can still hear my "beats" without me having to be there," Octavio rolled his eyes and began exiting the room.

"Fine. See you later buddy," The figure just stared as Octavio left the room.

* * *

Agent 2 and Cerata did their best to move Inkay as quickly and gently as they could. Every other step he took his legs would collapse from beneath him, causing them to have to lift him back up.

"Hold on a little longer Inkay. We're almost there," Agent 2 whispered into his ear. He nodded slightly trying to keep his legs moving. Agent 1 was walking a ways ahead, enough she was still in sight but far enough to spot any enemies early.

"Guys hurry! We have to get Inkay to the hospital ASAP!" She called back.

"No..." Inkay groaned back. "Take me...to my apartment," The three females looked back at the severely injured male in angry confusion.

"Do you not see yourself? You are so injured it's making my body hurt just looking at you!" Agent 2 scolded, not slowing down their escape pace.

"Just, trust me Marie..." Cerata glanced down at Inkay then over to Agent 2.

"Marie? Like in the Squid Sisters Marie?" She looked over to the agent moving ahead. "So that would mean that..."

"Way to ruin our cover Inkay," Marie growled as the male gave a forced chuckle.

"Sorry,"

"No no, this is great! The public listens to you right? Listen something big is coming up," Callie stopped at the grate leading back to Inkopolis and raised a frightened eyebrow.

"How big?"

"The Second Great Turf War big," Cerata and Marie made it to the grate and the Squid Sisters visibly paled.

"You're kidding..."

"No! We don't have that much time! Marie and I will take Inkay to his apartment and you have to warn everybody," Callie took a deep breath. She looked over to her cousin who gave a worried look then a nod.

"Ok. We should move quickly then I guess. Once we're on the other side we'll split up," The group save for Inkay, nodded. Callie turned into a squid and slipped through the grate. Inkay struggled to get into his squid form, but once he did, Marie and Cerata eased him on it so that he may fall through.

Once through the grate, the group noticed that Callie had already ran towards the studio. The second thing they noticed was how many people were in the plaza. They couldn't take Inkay through looking the way he did. Both Cerata and Marie looked at each other for a moment before both mentally face-palming themselves.

"Inkay, stay in squid form ok?" Inkay groaned in agreement and Cerata carefully picked him up, holding him to her chest. They moved as calmly and quickly as they could towards Inkay's apartment, Cerata leading the way. Once they arrived, Marie looked at Cerata with a raised brow.

"How did you know where Inkay stayed?"

"I've...sort have been living with him the last few days..."

"What?!"

"We'll have to explain later!" Cerata cried as she fiddled with the door. "Ugh. It's locked. Inkay, do you have the key?" Inkay weakly shook his head and Cerata whispered a curse. She tried the knob again and groaned when it did its job.

"Well how do we get in then?" Marie groaned to Inkay. Suddenly there was shuffling on the other side.

"Who is it?" A voice called through the door.

"Who is that?" Marie whispered.

"Lyra! It's Cerata!Let me in!"

"Cerata?" Lyra's confused voice called through the door. The sounds of locks coming undone clicked as the door opened. Lyra's face was first pleasantly surprised, but seeing the expression of Cerata and the Inkling who's face was mostly covered caused that to falter. It faltered more when she noticed Inkay in Cerata's arms.

"Oh my god..."

"Excuse me," Cerata said walking past Lyra, Marie following her in and giving a small nod.

"What, is that Inkay? What happened to him?!" Lyra called out to the group.

"Where do you need to go Inkay? Why here?" Cerata whispered. Inkay pointed to his room and Cerata quickly walked into it. Once they were in, Inkay reverted back, falling to his knees in the process. He groan as his body protested all of him movements but managed to stand with Marie and Cerata's help.

"Over there," He groaned pointing to his weapon closet. The two females moved him closer to the door and he undid the lock. They quickly walked in and looked around, Cerata more than surprised at the supply of weapons in the room.

"Is no one going to answer my question?! What the hell happened to Inkay?! Where has he been?! What's going on here?!" Marie turned towards Lyra and approached her. Lyra's face was one that demanded answers and she was going to get them.

"There's not much time to explain. Just go turn the TV on. A news report should be coming on soon," Lyra glared at the hidden stranger, honestly trying to pinpoint her voice more than anything. She complied however and quickly left the room to go turn on the TV. Marie moved inside the weapon closet with the others. Inkay guided Cerata towards a far off corner of the closet where a small machine sat. The machine was made big enough for all types of Octarians to fit into and sit comfortably. Cerata was more than surprised to see the machine here.

"What is that?" Marie questioned as she joined the group.

"It's an Octo-pod," Cerata answered. "It's for injured soldiers. It gets them back in the fight really fast actually," Cerata sat Inkay down beside the Octo-pod as she fiddled with the controls. "Wow. I'm going to have to question how you got your hands on one of these," Cerata turned it on and it began producing a silver gel from the sides. The machine began filling up and Marie crossed her arms.

"Yeah yeah, you can ask him later. Just hurry up. Put him in the pod!" Cerata nodded and assisted Inkay in stepping into the silver gel. She gently laid his head against the back of it and placed a mask over his mouth. She lowered the dome over him and the pod continued to fill up.

"So how long will he be in there?" Marie asked. Cerata shrugged and looked over the Inkling seemingly going to sleep in the pod. "He's pretty banged up. The gel works pretty quickly so maybe a couple of minutes? Half an hour to an hour to heal up completely," Marie crossed her arms and closed her eyes.

"So all we can do is wait?" Cerata shrugged and nodded her head. "Fine. Let's go see if Callie has spread the word yet," The two headed towards the living room with Lyra.

* * *

The plaza was quiet. The only point of interest being those two Inklings that ran through earlier, but they were really overlooked. Everyone continued doing what they were doing and everything was pretty quiet. Then the screen in the plaza did a little jingle.

Heads turned towards the screen and a few eyebrows raised. This wasn't the time the stages changed. Maybe there was a new weapon or the rules of the Turf War changed. Everyone listened carefully. The only ones not listening were those uninterested in Turf Wars, which were few. The jingle lingered a bit longer than usual before an alarm rang out 3 times. This caught everyone's attention. Callie appeared on screen, standing in a shocked stance in her usual outfit, she informed the citizens of the situation.

"Everyone! Emergency news! Emergency news!" Callie's voice rang throughout the plaza and every screen that was on. "Please listen closely!Octarian forces are headed towards Inkopolis as we speak! All citizens prepare an emergency evacuation!" Inklings all over the city went into a calm panic, murmuring to themselves and others, some heading home while some looked with hope of disbelief.

"Callie?! What are you doing?! You can't do that!" An Inkling whispered screamed from the off stage. "Jeremy cut the camera!"

"Don't you do it Jeremy!" Callie called to the camera man. "Listen everyone, if you are level 45 or above you are welcome to try and assist to defend our city, just know that this is not a drill and the rules of Turf War do not apply. All others, please calmly gather your families and get as far from the city as you can. For those of you who wish to stay and fight...the color we'll be wearing is...turquoise...All of you, stay safe," The screen cut to black while the entirety of Inkopolis's population began to move quickly.

Some attempted to find family or friends. Others went to grab some weapons. Everyone was in a rush, and a lot of arguments broke out on whether someone should stay and fight or not. The city was in a panic, but it was relatively less chaotic than another civilization being told war was on their borders.

* * *

Lyra sat on the couch with her hands over her mouth. Was this real? It had to be right? Callie could get arrested for just pulling a prank that would rile up the citizens. Plus where was Marie? They always showed up together. She was in shock. Remembering there were others now in the room with her, she turned to them. They had this sullen yet serious look on their face since they already knew. Lyra let out a small gasp as she reached for her phone.

"I have to call Kelp-" Her phone rang before she could unlock it properly. She quickly answered it and put it up to her ear. "Kelp? Have you heard? Where are you?"

"Calm down, I heard. I think the entire city heard. Listen, are you still over to Inkay's?"

"Yeah, I am. Inkay's really hurt somehow,"

"What? Is he ok?" Lyra looked over to the two females in the room with her. The mysterious figure looked ahead while Cerata nodded.

"Cerata says he's fine,"

"Wait, Cerata? I thought she went home,"

"Well she's back, and she brought a severely beat up Inkay with her. I don't know what happened but I'm kinda freaking out here, Kelp,"

"Just calm down. Shiro's on his way back over there. I'm going to go get my mom out of the city," Lyra paused for a moment.

"And then what?" There was silence. "Kelp you're planning on fighting aren't you?"

"Well I'm not going to just sit around and let someone come in and invade our home!"

"...And Shiro's staying too isn't he?"

"He's always been kinda clingy. You know that,"

"Well fine then. I'm staying too,"

"Lyra, you can't,"

"Look, I've waited too long for us to be a thing, and I'm not going to just sit on the sidelines scared I'm never going to see you again," Lyra was on the verge of tears but she held them back with a strong expression. Kelp chuckled on the other side.

"It's funny. Shiro said you'd say that..."

"And I mean it,"

"Alright, alright. Shiro said he was going to stop by you're place and pick a few of, not your best weapons, but the ones you get splat the least with,"

"Good move on his part,"

"I'll be over there as soon as I can,"

"Alright Kelp...I love you,"

"I love you too," The line cut off and Lyra took a deep breath.

* * *

Inkay sat in the pod, his mind much clearer considering it wasn't racked with pain signals. He would shift his position a bit to check what still ached and what didn't. He wasn't planning on staying here to full health, just to fighting standards. He wasn't going to let some misinformed Octarians take over his city.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked around the closet. He might as well plan what he was going to take out to battle. He had to be quick and not have to be close ranged. It would be best to get a shooter and so he could fight both at a distance and close-ranged. He moved his limbs some more and sighed. Still some pain, but not much. Just a little longer and he'd step out.

* * *

"What the heck were you thinking Callie?! You can't just rile up the civilians like that! That's disturbing the peace!"

"The peace will be disturbed when Octarian forces storm the city! Why are you so against me warning everyone?"

"Because there is a proper way to do things! You can't just cry wolf on live TV! What if there's no wolf?! Then the studio is blamed!"

"You just care about the studio? Not all the lives that could be lost?!"

"I didn't say that Callie,"

"It was implied," Callie did a sharp turn and walked towards the exit.

"And where are you going?"

"None of your concern," With that, Callie left.

* * *

It wasn't long before Shiro arrived at Inkay's apartment carrying five weapons. He quickly handed three to Lyra.

"I brought your brush, your Jet Squelcher, and your Slosher," Lyra took the weapons and gave Shiro a nod and a smile.

"Sometimes you scare me how much you know us," Shiro gave a smile that tried to hide the fear on his face.

"Shows just how much of a friend I am," He said with a smile. Lyra returned it and turned towards the entrance as Cerata and the mystery person walked in. "Octarian!" Shiro screamed pointing his Aerospray at Cerata. Cerata immediately raised her hands as Agent 2 stepped in front of her.

"Shiro! Calm down! It's me!" Both Lyra and Shiro went wide-eyed as Shiro slowly lowered his weapon.

"Cerata?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah! It's me,"

"YOU'RE AN OCTARIAN?!" Shiro screeched.

"Yes, but can you please be qui-"

"DOES INKAY KNOW?!"

"Yes he does, now quiet down!" Both Lyra and Shiro stared blankly as Shiro began walking in circles rubbing his head.

"Inkay knows...of fucking course he does,"

"So...you were an Octarian the entire time?" Lyra asked. Cerata nodded while Agent 2 looked between the three confused.

"I thought you were aware. You didn't notice when you first opened the door?" Lyra shook her head and returned her gaze to Cerata.

"I was kinda mesmerized by one of my best friends in a bloody pulp. Plus, I thought all Octarians were purple. I sorta just glanced at the color of her tentacles and not much else..." Agent 2 brought her knuckle to her mouth.

"That would make sense. No one would expect an Octarian with a turquoise color. We all assume them be purple and over look other colors,"

"Well I think everyone was just as shocked as me when I changed colors," There was a rustling coming from Inkay's room and they all looked at each other before storming it. When they opened the door, Inkay was wearing a Skull Bandana, Black Inky Rider, and some Octoling Boots.

"Inkay? You're done?" Cerata called approaching him.

"Right as rain,"Cerata encased Inkay in an immediate hug, him letting out a small _oomph_ before returning it. "We don't have much time. You don't have to fight but you're welcome to some of my weapons," Cerata looked up at Inkay with worried eyes.

"Are you sure you're up for this? I mean you were really hurt," Inkay gave her a toothy smile.

"I'll be fine. I promise," Cerata instantly raised her pinky finger. Inkay chuckled and wrapped his around it. Inkay turned his attention to those in the door way, mostly the disguised Squid Sister. "What did I miss?"

"She informed the city to perform an emergency evacuation. Anyone who wants to stay and fight she use turquoise ink. Inkay chuckled.

"How thoughtful of her," He turned his attention to his friends who had expressions that mixed "are you okay?" with "you have some explaining to do,"

"There's not a lot of time. I have some turquoise in my closet if you two are staying to fight," Shiro chuckled.

"Well you seem like you're ready to fight. And I can't have you die with out explaining _the truth_ to us," Inkay then noticed that while Cerata's hair was in the standard Octoling style, it was turquoise.

"Cerata? How did you-?" Cerata merely shrugged.

"Another story for another time. We have to get ready," Inkay nodded just as there was a knock on the door. The group exited the room as Inkay led the line to the door. Inkay opened the door and Callie walked in, Shiro letting out a very unmanly squeal. The entirety looked over to Shiro, who had covered his mouth with his hand then kindly excused himself to find something turquoise.

"What's the situation out there?" Agent 2 asked Callie.

"It seems that evacuation is going as smoothly as it can go. There are actually quite a lot of Inkling staying to fight. Many have picked up snipers and have taken higher ground while there are a lot of ground troops as well. Just on my way over here it seems they were all ready to flank any Octarian troops that exited the grates. All of them have spread ink everywhere, giving us more than home field advantage," The group nodded at the information, save for Cerata who was sad this situation even had to take place, and Lyra who was trying to keep from fangirling like Shiro and trying to figure out if the mysterious Inkling was Marie or not.

"Cerata," The Octoling's eyes shot up at Inkay calling her. "How many troops are they sending over. Do you know?" Cerata slunk down a bit with a sad expression.

"From what I know...everything. They're going all out all or nothing on this one," Inkay growled and looked down.

"We need a plan. We can't just fight and fight and fight. We may have set up some defenses but we are pretty much still blindsided," The group sat in contemplation. Cerata glanced up and caught a glance of the bookshelf in the distance and a light bulb went off.

"I got one," Eyes shot up and locked onto the Octoling with a huge grin on her face. She turned towards Agent 2 and Callie. "And we're going to need your help again,"

* * *

Octavio sat in a DJ booth in a giant aircraft. He had a relatively bored look on his face as he and his fleet approached the Inkling city. Turning his turntable a certain way, eight screens turned on in front of him, each a different Octarian.

"Major Tenoct. Information on the city," Octavio demanded. The Octarian on the screen in the upper right saluted Octavio before speaking.

"It seems that the traitorous Octoling informed them of our invasion. Inkling forces have been set up around entrance points in the city. All Inklings not fighting seemed to have already left the city," Octavio growled a bit before continuing.

"Darn. I was hoping for a high citizen death rate. Oh well. Air troops. Are you prepared to launch on my signal?" The Octarians on the top middle, bottom left, and bottom right all saluted.

"We are ready to move out as soon as you give the command Octavio," Octavio nodded before averting his attention to the remaining forces on the screen.

"You heard Tenoct. What are your plans on the Inkling in defensive position?" One Octarian saluted and spoke.

"We have set up a line of Ink balloons and have slowly placed them into the tunnels. It was made air tight and once one pops, the rest will as well, sending a streaming of ink to the other side, giving our forces cover, as well as what may be needed for a surprise attack," Octavio nodded approvingly.

"Good, good. Everyone. Do what he's doing. That's a smart Octopus right there. Everyone else, wait for my signal. Today is the day we take back what belongs to us," They all saluted as the screens turned into back. All the screens together lit up as two bright red eyes appeared.

"Are you almost there Octavio?" The voice called out through the speakers.

"We're almost there. Everything is ready on board yeah? I don't need to get there and something similar to last time happens,"

"Just make sure you pick up what you need. I'll take over for a bit after you do," Octavio nodded yet again.

"Alrighty then. Until our rampage," The eyes closed and the screens shut off. Won't be long now.

* * *

Inklings all over had their weapons aimed for the grates, waiting for the Octarian forces to emerge. There was suddenly a loud rumbling noise. Inkling forces turned their heads towards the sky as a lot of large ships flew over head. Some visibly paled as others mouths dropped.

The biggest ship slowly hovered over the tower with the Great Zapfish. It stopped as others moved forward around it. Two large tentacles erupted from the bottom of the ship and quickly reached down, grabbing the zapfish by the tail.

The zapfish's eyes widened as if it had just been violated as the ship pulled it into its hull. Many openings appeared around the ship as a screen appeared on the front. From some of the openings speakers erupted as a music slowly began coming out of them.

"...Life force, on the rise, organisms organize," From the the opening, small sniper carriers flew out.

"Situation: Analyzed. Antibodies synthesize," In mere seconds, the skies were filled with Octarian forces. Inklings on top of buildings fired at the airborne foe while ground forces avoided the rain of ink.

"Losing mass...now consume! Active cultures on the move!" The grates exploded with a large stream of purple ink. Octolings jumped from the fountain of purple, getting the jump on a few Inklings, causing a few explosions of purple.

"Liquid gaseous solids too, swallow all your molecules," The rest of the ships slowly opened up, Inklings trying to guess what would fall out of them this time while also shooting down Octarians already upon them.

"Cellular mitotic phase, mobilize and oscillate," From each of the ships, Octonozzles, Octostomps, Octowhirls, and even Octomaws fell to the city below. Inklings were immediately out gunned, but they stayed strong. Chaos now erupted through out the city as turquoise and purple rained in all directions. Ink sailed through the skies as the two species fought.

"Subdivide, repopulate," two red eyes appeared on the main Octarian ship's screen.

"Operation: DROP THE BASS!" Two arms slammed down in front of the set of eyes and began working the turn tables. All of the Octarian machinery roared out, removing all ink in the premises. All Inklings hiding in their ink were suddenly revealed and the small advantage they had was gone.

* * *

Inkay and his squad stood on top of a building near the Turf War lobby. Inkay and Shiro stared around with angry eyes. Lyra had her hands clasped over her mouth while Cerata and the Squid Sisters, one still in disguise, looked over the Turf War tower and the ship still hovering over it. No matter how one looked at, the Inklings were losing.

"This is bad. This is really bad," Lyra muttered to herself as she looked over the carnage.

"So, we're going to have to move fast. You guys understand the plan?" Cerata questioned. Agent 2 rolled up her sleeve and tapped a few buttons on a watch.

"I'm ready. But I don't know. It was a bit...too easy,"

"Don't hold your nose up at any openings," Cerata stood and turned towards Inkay, Shiro, and Lyra. "You guys ready to move out?" The trio nodded and turned their eyes to the sky. "Damn it..." Cerata called taking a step back.

"What is it?" Inkay followed her gaze to another ship approaching their position.

"My sister's on that ship," Inkay looked at Cerata then the ship with a hidden horror.

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just know," Inkay looked around the battlefield of a city before turning towards the entire group.

"We can't afford Octavio calling her for help. Callie, Agent 2, lay low until we get that ship away from your position," The two Inklings nodded and jumped from the building into a secluded alley beneath. It was not completely free of the results of battle, but it was certainly less chaotic. "Lyra, Shiro, go find Kelp. He's out there somewhere and I'm pretty sure he could use some friendly help," Shiro and Lyra gave Inkay a worried look.

"But what about you?" Shiro asked taking a step forward. Inkay looked up at the ship and the little purple specks flying around then to a building in the distance.

"Cerata and I will lure them near Bluefin Depot and stall as long as Callie and Agent 2 need it," The two nodded. Lyra threw her arms around Inkay's neck in a hug as a tear fell from her eye.

"Be careful," Inkay hugged her and nodded. She looked to Cerata and gave her a once over before pausing. "...you too," Cerata gave a small smile and nodded. Shiro grabbed Lyra by her wrist and pulled her away. Cerata and Inkay ran the opposite direction than the other two groups and jumped from the building.

* * *

Octameri sat in the captain's seat of a large ship, Octarians in different control panels around her.

"Sir, we are fully charged via the Great Zapfish and the shared generator. Agent 3 and your sister are in sight. Shall we fire the Killer Wail?" Octameri watched as the Inklings and her sister split up, her sister unknowingly staring into the camera before hand.

"No. They'll be enough of those firing in a moment anyway. Follow them,"

"But sir, there is a lot of chaos between us and them. We cannot guarantee we will be on their tail the entire time,"

"Then I cannot guarantee you'll be okay when I fly this ship over the ocean and throw you out. Follow them," The Octarian gulped and obeyed his commander.

* * *

Callie and Agent 2 landed in the darkness of the alley and took cover behind some garbage cans. Callie pulled out her agent outfit and slipped it on, Agent 2 peeking around to make sure no Octarians got the jump on them.

"So do you think that...Cerata girl knows what she's talking about?" Agent 1 asked as she pulled out her weapon. Agent 2 shrugged and looked at the ship now passing overhead.

"We can only hope she can be trusted. For now, we have to get to Octavio," Agent 1 looked at the plaza, filled with both Inkling and Octarian forces firing ink in all directions.

"It seems pretty chaotic that way. Think we can sneak up the back and climb the tower that way?"

"It's our best option," Agent 2 turned and headed towards the back way of the alley as her cousin followed.

* * *

Lyra and Shiro landed in a side alley and managed to splat an unwary Octoling. They rushed forward, firing at any Octarian that they could. They dodged and weaved through the streets and through alleys, honestly avoiding conflict as often as they could.

"I'm just now thinking of how insane this is. How the heck are we expected to find Kelp in all this?" Shiro called taking cover behind a car as Lyra did the same with another one nearby. Bombs and gunfire echoed throughout the entire area as the two flinched when either happened too close.

"We have to at least try Shiro!" Lyra screamed back.

"Well I know that! I'm just pointing out how crazy it is!"He called with a small smile on his face. Lyra peaked over the car she was hiding behind and signaled Shiro it was time to move. He nodded as Lyra shot a stream of ink under the car and swam under it while Shiro jumped over. They both ran forward, Lyra leading while Shiro guarding the back.

Lyra was a bit more focused on getting to more cover while Shiro was focused more on keeping an eye out for enemies. Because of the two mind sets, the distance between the two quickly grew. When Shiro looked forward, Lyra was a good distance away. His eyes widened as he looked at her.

"Lyra! Look out!" Lyra paused and turned towards Shiro before looking above her. Her eyes widened as a purple square face was falling towards her position. Shiro reverted to squid form and super jumped in a straight line towards his friend. He turned back to an Inkling and tackled Lyra just as the Octostomp landed. Lyra hit the ground rolling but quickly stood up and stared at the mechanical monster as its little legs kicked.

"What is...what is this thing?!" She screamed. Her eyes traveled down the cube monster then widened. "Oh no! Shiro!" She got up and ran towards the Octostomp. Shiro groaned and crawled forward a bit, Lyra crouching beside him and putting her hands to her mouth.

"Shiro...Shiro your leg..." Shiro tried to chuckle but instead let out a groan.

"It's merely a...flesh wound," He choked out. Honestly if he was any less pain, Lyra would've slapped him. Everything below the mid part of his left leg was gone, crushed beneath the Octostomp and splatted from the purple ink.

"Come on. We have to get you out of here," Lyra called pulling Shiro up by the arm. The Inkling boy groaned and struggled to stand on his remaining foot as he put his arm around Lyra's neck. Just as they turned to walk off, the ground shook slightly. They both turned to see the machine standing up right looking down on them.

"RUN!" Shiro called as the thing let out a small roar. The two Inklings charged towards the nearest alley and sprinted as fast as they could. The Octostomp screeched as they ran into a space too small for it to fit and jumped high into the sky.

* * *

Cerata and Inkay bobbed and weaved through the chaos, making their way through the city. They tried their best to avoid all the Octarian monstrosities as they traveled. This was a bit easier as most looked at Cerata confused before making a move.

Eventually they reached their destination. Inkay and Cerata picked a tall building at the edge of the depot and inked their way up, climbing to the roof. They reached the top both breathing heavily. Cerata looked over their shoulders at the ship that had been following them. It slowly eased to a stop over their position.

Inkay and Cerata took a deep breath and waited. They took a glance at each other and they both knew they were thinking the same thing:

They were going to have a bad time.

* * *

Octavio sat in his chair clapping his tentacles together. This was all just so beautiful! By now Killer Wails, Inkzookas, and Inkstrikes littered both the ground and skies. A few ships had taken one too many Inkstrikes or Killer Wails and had thus crashed into the cold hard ground below, an explosion of turquoise. He didn't know ships worked that way as well. Oh well. As is war. Can't make an omelet without cracking a few eggs.

"So, any sign of that Agent 3?" Octavio asked an Octoling sitting in his command pit with him.

"No sir, but it seems two Inklings are attempting to get into the ship," Octavio raised an eyebrow at the Octoling.

"Only two?"

"Yes sir,"

"And where exactly will they enter?"

"The only opening close enough for them to reach will be the one leading to your room sir, just as you ordered,"

"Perfect!" Octavio said standing up rubbing his tentacles together. "Keep firing those Killer Wails randomly into the streets. I'm going to try out my new and improved war suit!" Octavio excitedly exited the room, Octarian forces saluting him as he left as more Killer Wails rang out.

* * *

Shiro and Lyra continued to move as fast as they could, Inklings sending them towards relatively save passage ways seeing Shiro's missing leg. Lyra was on the verge of losing it while Shiro was trying his best to keep her calm as well as stay conscious. Of course, it wasn't long before a wrong turn got the two into the line of sight of an Octoling squad.

Fortunately, the two were far away enough so that the Octolings had to move towards them for their weapons to reach. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of turquoise ink to make a clean get away. The two swam in what was there as far as they could, Lyra using her weapon to spread a little more when needed.

The Octolings were relentless with their chase however and continued pursuing. After a while of running, Lyra noticed a trail of turquoise ink going up a building among random splatters. With no better option, she helped Shiro swim up it. The Octolings reached their position and attempted to cut them off but were a tad bit too slow. Regardless, they created a purple trail to follow them.

When Lyra reached the top she was surprised to find other Inklings finishing up a battle of their own. There were five in total, three boys and two girls. A girl and a boy took note of their arrival while the rest began firing their weapons at either the enemies on the streets below or the ones flying through the sky. The girl and boy who noticed the two new Inklings rushed up to them.

"We're being followed! They're on their way up!" Lyra called as she and the other girl helped Shiro further onto the building. The guy cursed under his breath and dropped a suction bomb near where Lyra and Shiro came from. He backed away pointing his weapon towards that side of the building.

The girl helped Lyra sit Shiro in the middle of the circle. With a small amount of a struggle, she ripped off her sleeve and tied it around Shiro's stump. She noticed he still clutched a weapon and looked at him with a serious glare. She tapped his face a few times.

"Hey, HEY! Don't you dare close your eyes!" She took the Aerospray from his hand and replaced it with her .96 Gal. "You stay awake and you fight you hear me?!" Shiro opened his eyes trying not to anger this aggressive female. He looked at the new weapon in his head before nodding.

"Yes ma'am," The Inkling nodded and stood, moving towards the guy from before while Lyra knelt next to Shiro, tears in her eyes.

"Shiro I'm so sorry. If I was paying more attention...you'd...I'd..." Shiro flashed a forced smile before rising himself to a sitting position.

"Don't sweat it. We can go back and forth on who's to blame. If I was faster it wouldn't have happened. So let's focus on surviving and finding Kelp...Ok?" Lyra wiped her eyes and nodded before standing up.

An Octoling reached the top of the building and jumped up just as the Suction Bomb prepared to go off. Her eyes widened as she was over taken by an explosion of turquoise and splatted. More Octolings jumped up from the side of the building firing at the Inklings. Fortunately, the Inklings that were already there managed to splat the Octolings as they arrived. Once the line of enemies stopped, the male Inkling peaked over the edge of the building. One Octoling had a device up to her ear before turning up to look at him and smiling.

The Inkling raised an eyebrow before looking into the distance to see a small set of Octarian forces coming their way.

"Oh shit..." He groaned.

"Danny! We got enemies coming this way!" Another one called from the opposite end of the building.

"Some just wiped out an entire squad in this direction!" The other female called as she fired onto the streets below.

"Damn it...damn it damn it damn it! Everyone! Focus on getting your specials now! Take out any enemy you can but get set up ASAP!" He called firing his weapon down to the purple streets below. All of the Inklings nodded as more shots were fired in all directions. Lyra moved to a side of the building and began firing. Shiro, not to be out done, semi-walk/crawled his way to the side and helped in any way he could.

* * *

Cerata and Inkay waited as the bottom of the ship opened up and a lone dot fell from it. It fell towards their location and they separated. Octameri landed on a fist and a knee between them and slowly rose to her full height. Inkay and Cerata began circling Octameri. Octameri smiled at the two.

"Sister," She said turning towards Cerata, who raised her Tentatek Splattershot. Octameri slowly turned to the opposite side of her towards Inkay. "My bitch," Inkay frowned and raised his Octoshot Replica. "How nice to see you both...together..." She hissed.

"You're making a mistake Meri. I promise you Octavio's been lying," Cerata frowned as Octameri laughed at her.

"You're making a mistake challenging me. Challenging the great Octarian race! We will finally have the victory we deserved so long ago! And we will take back what is ours!"

"It's not ours Meri! Just listen because I know the truth!"

 **"SSssssshhhhhhhhh...you** hear that sister?" Octameri said gesturing to the war raging around them. "That's the sound of your lies being washed away. Just like this city," Inkay growled at her truth. The machines once again gave the Octarians the advantage. The Inklings were losing. Things had to change ASAP.

"It's obvious you can't be reasoned with," Inkay said raising his weapon higher.

"Nope. So what are we waiting for?" Octameri raised her fists to both of her opponents. "Let's dance,"

* * *

 **Hey guys! Did you miss me? What? You forgot? Ok ;-; Well I didn't forget you guys. Finals ran literally from the day of my last chapter til Tuesday, and I've been off since. But I honestly don't remember Wednesday, or half of yesterday. For those who say sleep is for the weak, I'm at the bottom of the tier list.**

 **But anyway, this will be the author notes I've been neglecting. So let's go all the way back to the Party Day dual chapters.**

 **Of course Splatoon in the story would be the equivalent of say, Basketball and Football in our world, so I had to spice it up a bit. So I did. Also if it wasn't obvious, Kelp was playing a squid version of Fire Emblem. Though Awakening was my first Fire Emblem experience cept for smash, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Enough so that I'm willing to hand Nintendo 80 bucks for the Fire Emblem Fates set coming out. Also Corrin's trailer for smash honestly had me more stressed out about the choices those games will make me make instead of his inclusion in smash. (Also Bayonetta in smash?! The Hype Train has derailed and turned into a motherfucking rocket ship!)**

 ***Ahem* Excuse me. Anyay, yes, yes, the orgy thing wasn't my original idea, but I found it more than hilarious enough to add. The Idea came from the story Fracture. Check it out unless you're scared of the dark. You have been warned.**

 **I like how Shiro is the carefree fun guy but he know his shit. He's smarter than he lets on and I feel Party Day showed that.**

 **Also, the translated Splatfest song the Squid Sisters sang was courtesy of Vannasuika ㇭7 on youtube, with a few tweaks on my side to make it, what I think, flow better. So go check it out if you're curious and have the time.**

 **The after party...I've never really dealt with someone really drunk, but I have an imagination, so I had fun with that scene. And also Kelp and Lyra hooking up. The original plan of the story, waaaaaaay back in chapter two, was to have a love triangle between Inkay, Cerata, and Lyra, but I felt Lyra wouldn't have enough screen time for that to be truly fair so the idea was junked. Honestly I liked the way it's coming out more anyway.**

 **And then there's the scene. You know the one. The one that yanked your heart strings. The accursed farewell. How that scene played out ran through my head over and over again and I honestly enjoyed writing it.**

 **Then the phone scene in Inkling vs Octoling. I wrote it that way to fuck with you. .3. Inkay gets the phone call, and you're like "Oh no! He's agent 3!" Then it turns out to be his sister and you're like "Oh, no he's not." Then SURPRISE! Yes he is. Ain't I a stinker? That's also the chapter Inkay got his shit kicked in. The fight between him and Octameri was also a scene that played through my head, especially the scene between him using all his bombs strategically and Octameri using him to break both the glass wall and the floor of the box thing. It was fun.**

 **Now we get to last chapter. I'm going to first apologize litosns. Your quote was really awesome and I liked it, but it didn't seem like something Octameri would say considering she wanted war more than anything else in the world, so she wouldn't be talking down on it.**

 **Next, Inkay's torture. The Saltwater thing is a guestimate on how the Inkling body works. I would think they are mostly water, especially since they can sink into ink that cannot be more than an inch thick. The hooks through the hands was a random last minute thought. Why last minute? Well, Inklings don't have bones. Therefore, you're standard chains and shackles aren't going to hold them up. So hooks.**

 **Then the special tools Octameri made ordered. All of which were at one point real torture tools. Read at your own cost. Let me explain them to you in summary form:**

 **Iron maidens- the caskets you see on the movies with the spikes on the inside. Place a person in and close it they die. Unless the spikes are short and on one side. Then that person has to spend their time standing as pressed as far back as they can and not move forward in fear of impaling themselves.**

 **The Lead Sprinkler- Is what is implied. Molten lead, or water, or anything else that can get hot in liquid form, is spread over the unfortunate prisoner. Of course it's heated to a boiling point before hand and...yeah.**

 **The executioner's daughter- Ever heard of the rack? Well, the rack ties the prisoner's hands above their head and their feet below and pulls them, stretching them until the poor sap is ripped apart. The executioner's daughter is the opposite. Instead of being stretched, the poor sap is compressed, pressed into a tight space until their bones snap and their organs pop from the pressure. Terrifying right?**

 **A lot of people enjoyed the fact Cerata fought in the last chapter. I did too. It was fun writing it. And Cerata changing colors was also a big surprise. My reasoning? She was able to change to turquoise in particular because she was wearing Inkay's hat. Funny, if he wasn't wearing it and decided to give it to Cerata, he would've died. It's the little things in life.**

 **And we finally get to this chapter! Tell me, what do you guys get from Octavio's relationship with mysterious red eyes? I thought red eyes would be happy alongside Octavio. Anyone have any ideas on what's going on? Also the squid sisters will be meeting Octavio's new and improved weapon. You guys excited for that?**

 **We don't know where Kelp is at the moment but Lyra and Shiro are fending off Octarians with a bunch of new unnamed Inklings. And Shiro lost a leg being so selfless. I wonder how the rest of the war is going to go with him down a limb.**

 **As for the main characters of our little story, they're about to face off against Octameri 2v1! You guys think they have a chance? You'll have to stick with us to find out.**

 **Also, all of the bosses you faced in the game are in bulk in Inkopolis wrecking havoc. Casualties are much higher on the Inkling side. Splatoon hidden spoilers, Octarians were winning the first Great Turf War and the Inklings one simply because they got lucky. This story is following that on how they're getting their asses whooped.**

 **Also I'll explain how all the bosses are functional if Agent 3/Inkay got all the zapfish back.**

 **We're nearing the home stretch here guys. I hope you are still enjoying and I hope you continue reading. I am not promising any chapter in a recent amount of time. Christmas is coming up(Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays or whatever you prefer btw) and I may get overrun by little people(kids) coming to my house, and I'm going to have to pull a Peridot and tell them to stop touching my stuff. Also I'm going to a thing with some friends starting next Friday, and I will be internetless until Tuesday. So yeah.**

 **But heres my late chapter and my catchup author's note. Hope you enjoyed, thank you for reading and a special thank you to all of you who have been reviewing the previous chapters. Until next time.**

 **Astalabyebye,**

 **Bang**


	13. Drowning in Lies

"The enemy is upon us!"

"Alright! Is everyone ready?!"

"As ready as we'll ever be!"

"Alright! Let's do this!" Octarian forces almost immediately appeared on all sides of the building. They were greeted with not several Inklings, but one lunging towards the east side of the construct. The Octarians raised their weapons in instinct at the charging Inkling. Just as they fired, there was a loud ding sound as before their eyes the Inkling transformed into the almighty Kraken.

Octarians in front of the behemoth panicked. Some jumped to the side. Others chose to jump back the way they came. Octarians behind the monster noticed ripples in the ink behind it. They opened fire as the Kraken leapt over the edge of the building, smaller Inklings following. For the Octolings that jumped over the building, the Kraken quickly caught up and splatted them.

The massive squid hit the ground and Octarian forces scattered. The squids quickly followed the behemoth, small plopping sounds chiming when they hit the ink path the Kraken made. They swam as far as they could as quickly as possible. But of course all good things come to an end. The Kraken wore off and the Inklings quickly rose from the ink, weapons drawn and pointed in preparation. The group quickly moved forward, Lyra and the female from before helping Shiro to move.

The male from before lead the charge, making sure he spread a wide area of ink for his fellow Inklings to follow. Behind him was another male and female watching his back while the final male was in between the two groups of three, watching out for either group.

In their rush, Shiro stumbled and hit the ground, Lyra apologizing and the other Inkling cursing as they both reached down to help him back up. After the initial shock from hitting the ground subsided, Shiro's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Come on you! On your feet!" Lyra glared at the girl as she stuttered. "Um…foot?..." another glare.

"Yeah yeah hold on…" Shiro said placing his ear to the ground and sitting motionless. The two girls looked at the boy in confusion. Shiro raised his head and looked towards the group still spreading ink in front of them. He tried desperately to get up. "Something's coming!" he shouted. The group stopped and turned towards the screaming Inkling.

The Inkling in the middle prepared to run towards the fallen group, thinking they needed assistance. The leading group began to head back as well. They took one step as spikes jutted out from the ground around the lone Inkling. There was a split second of a pause as both groups lost sight of the Inkling behind the teeth-like protrusions and he lost sight of them.

There was a loud snap sound as the protrusions slammed shut, revealing a large fish like robot. It looked around at the Inklings around it, purple ink oozing from its closed maw. The Inkling girl in the first group went into hysterics, her friends having to grab her before she did something stupid.

"JEREMY NO!"

"Angela calm down!" Angela broke down into sobs as her friends attempted to raise her back to her feet. The monstrosity looked over the display and smiled, its teeth practically reflecting the image of the crying Inkling. Shiro and his small group looked on in horror as the creature roared out, removing the ink in the area. Somehow it dived into the ground again, a giant fin sticking above the surface as it swam towards the sobbing Inkling. The Inklings forced Angela to her feet and began running as fast as they could.

* * *

Agent 1 and 2 snuck into the ship as quietly as they could. They turned into their squid forms and slinked through the grate on the vents they were in. They quietly dropped into the hallway weapons drawn. They cautiously moved forward, eyes scanning for any sign of movement.

Fortunately the hallway was quiet save for the boom of inkstrikes and the screech of Killer Wails echoing outside. Finding a bit of comfort in the silence, the two moved faster. Every second wasted was another life lost. It wasn't long before they were both sprinting down the hallway, the sound of their footsteps echoing through the area.

They finally reached a steel door. Agent 1 placed her self on one side of it while Agent 2 covered the other. The two locked eyes and took a deep breath. Giving a nod to her cousin, Agent 1 pushed the door open while Agent 2 turned into the doorway, pointing her weapon towards the inside. Both slowly lowered their weapons as their mouth dropped.

"What the..." Agent 2 muttered as she and her cousin walked into the room.

"How the hell is this even a thing?!" Agent 1 screeched gesturing towards the room. "I know that this ship is big and all, but this room alone is bigger! I mean look at that Marie! It has a horizon! A freaking horizon Marie!"

"Yes Callie, I also have eyes," Marie stated walking forward studying the room they were in. It was a large circular room with an upper and lower platform going all around it. There was a decent amount of space from the walls to the edge of the platform that allowed a lot of movement if need be.

However the floor above seemed unreachable from any where on the bottom. Neither agent wanted to risk a super jump less they fall in the pit.

The Squid Sisters walked to the edge of the platform and looked over it. At the bottom of the room sat a very large batch of purple ink. Both girls shivered at the thought of slipping in. It was a long fall to contemplate your errors in life before dying. The two took steps away from the edge before looking around the room some more.

"So…where to now?" Marie asked her sister as they scanned the room for a way out.

"How about hell?" a voice yelled out. There was a giant explosion of ink from the center of the pit that shot high into the air. As the ink receded, Octavio's DJ station spun in the air. It stopped facing The Squid Sisters and sent a boom from the front speakers. "Sup has beens?" Octavio sneered from his control console.

"Here to stop you, never was," Marie retorted pointing her Splatterscope while Callie aimed her rapid blaster. Octavio laughed at the two.

"And exactly who are you supposed to be?"

"Agents 1 and 2! We're stopping this war at its source!" Callie's statement made Octavio laugh.

"Please. That Agent 3 may have defeated me last time, but even he couldn't stop this new machine of mine! And I doubt either of you are as good as him!"

"Please. Can't you add? One plus two equals three. And from what I can see, your machine has been downgraded since your fight with Agent 3," Octavio full out laughed at Marie, who growled and charged her charger. She fired at Octavio, going for the headshot. Before the ink could reach the cockpit, a barrier appeared and blocked it. Octavio smiled as the purple barrier slowly turned turquoise.

"Oh I can add just fine. Why don't you call and add Agent 3 into the equation? After all," Octavio's face lowered into a glare. "You still wouldn't add up to eight," Octavio activated his turn table and eight robotic tentacles exploded from the back of his machine. They all spun around rapidly before shooting out in different directions, making it look even bigger.

The two agents stared with mouths agape as the tendrils slowly slunk into place. They were thick and their entirety posed a large amount of purple ink. The two biggest ones spun around moved towards the front. They twirled around until the ends formed into two giant fists and rested in a boxing position towards the sisters.

"Oh shit…" Marie whispered as she stared towards the machine.

"Hey sis," Marie turned towards her sister who gave a small nod. "Are you prepared?" Marie visibly calmed down and turned towards Octavio. She reached behind her and pulled out a Jet Squelcher. Callie smiled as she turned towards her foe and pulled out an aerospray. Marie glared at Octavio who smirked back.

"Let's get this over with,"

* * *

Inkay flinched as a fist flew past his face, purple ink sprinkling him at the closeness of the limb. He managed to dodge and duck under a few more attacks before opting to roll backwards and hopefully out of reach.

Octameri kept up the pressure, following Inkay in his retreat. Blobs of turquoise ink flew pass her face as Cerata rushed back into the fray. The turquoise Octoling threw a kick towards her sister's back, who easily caught it and lifted the captured limb up a bit. Glare still in her eye, Cerata jumped and kicked her free leg towards her opponent's face. Again, the limb was captured and Octameri pulled both limbs over her head.

Riding the momentum of her yanked legs, Cerata bent over backwards, firing her weapon at her sister. Arms still over her head, Octameri let herself fall backwards, dodging the fire and confusing Cerata. Octameri landed gently on her back while Cerata was slammed face first into the ground.

Inkay threw several Burst Bomb at the grounded Octameri, who only smiled at the incoming bombs. With a swift twirl, she was on her feet again and threw her sister high into the air and into the bombs. Of course they didn't hurt the now airborne Octoling, but they never reached their target because of it.

Inkay rushed forward, firing his Replica the entire time. Octameri twirled on her feet, spinning around the barrage of ink. She effectively backhanded the poor Inkling. She used the speed of her spin to also kick one of his legs from under him. Inkay winced as Octameri grabbed him by his tentacles and groaned after she punched him in the face.

Using the moment Inkay was stunned from pain, Octameri lifted Inkay off the ground and threw him into Cerata just as she was about to hit the ground. Both let out a pained _oomph_ as their bodies collided and rolled across the floor. They both quickly rolled to an upright position and separated themselves, again pointing their weapons at the smirking Octoling.

"Why is your sister so strong?" Inkay groaned trying to to stop the ringing in his head.

"She trains more than she should," Octameri laughed as she approached her sister and enemy.

"And I think it's paying off, don't you agree sister?" Cerata simply glared along with Inkay as they paused for a moment before rushing the Octoling again. Once in front of her, Cerata took one hand off of her weapon. Using her free hand, she reached in her belt and pulled out a mini Octobrush. She did a quick slash towards Octameri's abdomen. The former did a quick step back to dodge the attack.

Keeping all of his running momentum, Inkay threw a forward kick towards his opponent's stomach. Octameri simply twirled to her right out of the way. Upon stopping, she noticed her sister in the air, weapon held back as if she was preparing a punch. Which she was. She threw her fist forward while firing her weapon. Octameri simply swatted the weapon out of her face and to the side with one hand. She rotated her body and landed a devastating blow to Cerata's stomach with her knee.

Cerata gasped as the air immediately left her lungs then groaned as she felt her sister harshly grip her tentacles, pushing her closer to the ground. Octameri lowered Cerata's body and dodged another shot from Inkay, who was charging back into the fray. He threw a left hook towards his opponent, but timing the yank perfectly, Octameri pulled her sister back up, deflecting Inkay's attack.

Octameri then shot a hooked kick towards the side of Inkay's knee. The Inkling fell to his knee as his limb was knocked from under him. He looked up and attempted to get back to his feet but Octameri cocked the same leg back and swung it with even more force into Inkay's jaw. The attack caused him to do a complete spin and land on his face.

Without missing a beat, Octameri slammed her foot on the ground. bending her leg at a ninety degree angle, she pulled Cerata's tentacles back, then with as much force as she could muster slammed her sister's face into her knee. Cerata's head rebounded and flew backward as her nose began to bleed. Without giving her opponent the chance to even comprehend what just happened, Octameri threw a left hook into Cerata's stomach, then a powerful rising uppercut as she was bent over from the previous blow.

Cerata was knocked off her feet and onto her back from the blow as Octameri smiled the entire time. Inkay, fighting to get his head to stop throbbing, was back on a knee trying to get to his feet. He looked over his shoulder right as Cerata was at the peak of getting knocked off her feet. His eyes widened as Octameri did a short hop and shot both of her feet towards Inkay's face.

Inkay rolled and rolled from the attack, landing face down with a blurry vision. He raise his head up and tried to shake the blurriness from his eyes. He looked up as Octameri jumped back to her feet, dusting her hands off as if the battle was already over. Honestly, Inkay was surprised on how one sided this fight was turning out to be. He thought if anything it would be one sided because of the two on one statistics, but that barely seemed like a mild inconvenience to Octameri.

Speaking of the she-devil, Octameri turned her sights towards her sister, who was writhing on the ground holding her face. Octameri knelt down beside her sister and again grabbed her tentacles. She brought her sister's head towards her as Cerata hissed.

"Why do you still resist me sister? Can't you see you're on the losing side?" Cerata growled and clawed at the gauntlet oozing purple through her tentacles.

"Because I know this side is right. If you would listen to what I have to say you would know that! But instead you're following Octavio blindly like you always have like a lovesick puppy!" Octameri growled and threw Cerata's head to the ground again. She stood up and raised her foot in preparation to stomp the dazed Octoling.

Inkay decided that that was enough and turned into a squid, charging up a super jump as quickly as he could. He launched himself full speed towards Octameri, slamming his humanoid body into her and sending them careening towards the edge of the rooftop. Inkay's idea was this obviously wasn't going to end in their favor, so maybe they should risk the war below and maybe find some assistance. Sure they may find more Octarian forces, but they were already up shit creek without a paddle. With that thought in mind, he kept himself rolling with Octameri until he felt the ground disappear from under them. Now all Inkay had to do was make sure he wasn't on the bottom when they hit the ground. He was already on the receiving end of a gravity slam and would prefer not to be on it again. As the ground disappeared, the sound of Cerata calling his name in a panic rang out.

The feeling of slamming into the ground came much sooner than he anticipated. He let out a gasp as once again his body slammed into something hard with Octameri on top of him, the pain increased from the now shattered ink tank on is back. When he focused his sight, Octameri was smiling down on him, the roof they just rolled off of not too far in the distance over her shoulder. He looked over his own shoulder and his heart dropped.

"I'll tell you what MB. You got balls. Or you are the stupidest person I've ever met," Octameri chuckled. She wrapped her gauntlets around the Inkling's throat and began squeezing, ink still oozing from them. Inkay clawed at the gauntlets as Octameri laughed. "I wanted to see you explode into a rain of purple, but I guess watching your body fizzle into nothing is good too. Now open those eyes! Let me see them roll back into their sockets!"

Inkay struggled to get this woman off of him but she had him pinned in place. He would've tried rolling over, but that may have just gotten them both killed.

"Get off of him!" Octameri looked to her side to see Cerata flying towards her. The Octoling tackled the older Octarian off Inkay and over the edge. Inkay immediately looked over the side, grasping his throat and trying to locate his comrade. The two Octolings landed on a beam not too far away from the one Inkay laid on. Inkay stood and slowly backed up to the building. He looked around for a path to get down to their level without being too risky. He looked down to the beam they laid on then the literal ocean of water far in the distance. "Maybe the depot...wasn't such a good idea..."

* * *

Lyra and Shiro along with the new Inkling girl found cover as the other group fled the charging machine. They truly wanted to help, but with Shiro's missing leg and their complete lack of knowledge of their opponent, they'd more than likely be a nuisance than anything. And their was no doubt in any of their minds that if the thing turned its sights on them, they wouldn't be able to out run it.

"Ugh! I have no idea what to do!" The aggravated female Inkling whisper shouted. "I was not expecting giant robot...things! I've really bitten off more than I can chew this time..." The girl put her head in her hands and let out a shaky breath. Shiro and Lyra looked at each other with saddened eyes before Shiro put a hand on the girl's shoulder. She flinched at his touch and looked up at him.

"What's your name?" The girl wiped her eyes and looked at Shiro.

"Magdaline...but my friends call me Maddie..." Shiro nodded and looked to Lyra.

"I'm Shiro. And this is Lyra. Thanks for helping us. I promise, we're going to make it out," Magdaline scoffed and looked towards the ground.

"I told Jeremy the same thing..." Shiro grew a sad expression along with Lyra.

"Was that the one who?..." Magdaline nodded and the group grew quiet.

"We should probably get moving..." Lyra called as the two nodded. The girls helped Shiro up as they began exiting their hiding place.

"We have to see where my friends are. We have to see if we can help them somehow," Magdaline suggested. Shiro looked at Lyra and vice versa.

"They did help us when we needed it," Shiro told the girl.

"Did you think I was going to say no or something?" Magdaline smiled as the group moved as quickly as possible. It wasn't long before they found their targets, still trying to fend of the robotic fish.

"Well what do we do now?" Lyra questioned as they hid out of sight of the monstrosity. Shiro stared quietly and let out a deep breath.

"You both go find some way to help. I'll stay behind,"

"Shiro are you crazy?! You won't be able to defend yourself in that state!" Lyra scolded, causing Shiro to chuckle.

"Sure I will. Just leave me some ammo. A little water. Some chips if you have any," Magdaline looked at the Inkling boy with a somewhat concerned somewhat amused face.

"Did you just?" Shiro just chuckled.

"Look, I'm not going to be of any help to you guys at this point, and they need help. So go help them. I'll be fine," Lyra wined and bounced in place.

"Why do all the boys in my life have to act so damn heroic?!" She growled as she jumped from their hiding place and ran towards the machine, transferring her anger towards the selfless acts all of her friends seemed to be doing towards something more useful. Magdaline looked at the charging Inkling and then Shiro.

"Stay out of trouble,"

"No promises," Magdaline ran afer Lyra as Shiro stayed behind cover. As soon a the girls left he cupped his head in his hands. He was feeling nauseous and he was having trouble seeing clearly. But they didn't need to know that. He just had to hold out for a little longer. Just a little bit.

* * *

 _Who the hell even ordered this to be built this way?! It's like some asshat meant for an odd battle to go on here!_ Inkay inwardly cursed at the steel beams jutting out over the sea in seemingly random ways from the building. He returned his sights to Cerata, who was currently wrestling with her sister. Her sister had the advantage and had long since knocked Cerata's weapon onto another beam. Inkay had to act fast and smart. He only had one Seeker left so he had to put it to good use.

Inkay took a deep breath and got a running start before jumping off the beam he stood on, barely landing on the one the Octolings shared. As soon as he could, he threw a Seeker towards the quarreling Octolings. They both noticed the small beeping sounds the mobile bomb made and turned their attention towards it. Octameri growled and headbutted Cerata before attempting to jump over the bomb.

Only slightly dazed from the blow, Cerata bent her arm over her body and slammed her fist into the Seeker. Though the bomb would've normally just rolled right over Cerata, being the same color and all, the impact of her fist caused it to explode early. The premature eruption caught Octameri by surprise, changing the direction of her ascent and blinding her for a moment.

She let out a hiss as her back hit one steel beam and she fell into a face plant onto another. She growled and looked up to her opponents who had regrouped two levels above her. She stood up and held her hands over her head. With a war cry filled with more annoyance than anything, she threw her limbs to her side, the gauntlets opening up in several places and causing ink to spiral around her fists. She cocked one fist back and threw a punch that sent a large blob of ink spiraling towards the beam Inkay and Cerata stood on.

The two didn't think much of the attack at first seeing as Octameri aimed a bit too low, but that mindset changed quickly. The force of the ink's impact with the steel beams not only caused it to shake, but bent the beam in a bit. Cerata and Inkay shared a fearful glance as Octameri unleashed a volley of punches, some aimed toward the two, others towards the beam they stood on.

Inkay and Cerata separated, running towards opposite ends of the beam. Octameri set her sights towards Inkay, sending a storm of ink flying towards him as he traveled across the beams. At one point he jumped from the one he was on and landed on the one Octameri occupied, almost over shooting it. This didn't deter Octameri's barrage in the slightest.

Inkay had to quickly adjust his posture to dodge the ink aimed towards his head. He got to his feet and rushed towards Octameri. The Octoling's fists were a blur as she continued her onslaught. Inkay did his best to sidestep or duck under any attack he was fortunate enough to track. He reverted to squid form occasionally to slip under or jump over attacks to switch up his approach a bit.

Surprising himself, he got into a pretty close range to this battle beast. Not wanting to slow down less he get hit, he charged in with a flying kick. Octameri easily dodged it and prepared to turn around to continue her storm of ink. Upon turning around however, she was greeted with a hard uppercut to the chin.

She quickly recovered and growled at her sister, attempting to slam both her fists on the younger Octoling's head. Cerata rolled under her sister just as her fists connected with the ground and got into a battle position, Inkay raising his fists the same way on the opposite side of their enemy. Octameri growled as she got into a battle position contrasting theirs. Her arms and legs were spread to opposite sides to prepare herself for when either one of them made a move, where as their bodies were curved in.

Cerata and Inkay both were breathing at a bit of an increased paced, while Octameri's breathing was quickened by fury alone. Aside from the upper cut Cerata had just landed that was the only blow to the battle hardened Octoling. Using her hand closest to Cerata, Octameri wiped her lip and glanced towards her sister.

"Don't expect that to happen again,"

* * *

Agent 2 bounced along the purple colored ground and let out a groan, her cousin crashing near her location not too soon afterwards.

"Callie..." Agent 2 groaned out as she tried to force herself to her feet. The first agent didn't respond. Instead she laid there in the purple ink unmoving.

"Looks like one down!" Octavio boasted, Agent 2 sending him a snarl. "Don't worry, I'll knock you out too then splat you both at the same time! You won't feel a thing I promise," Agent 2 closed her eyes, snarl still on her face. This couldn't be it. Not like this. Not to Octavio. She slammed her fist on the ground and forced her leg under her body.

"Oh? Still got some fight in you I see. So the strength of you agents is by highest number huh?" Agent 2 growled as she fought to get back on her feet. She gripped her weapon in her hand and slowly ascended. Octavio watched in amusement as she slowly stood up. She finally stood to her full height, wobbling only slightly before glaring at Octavio. "Well? Got anything to say?"

Marie didn't know if she and her cousin were going to make it out of this room in one piece, but she'll be damned if she didn't complete her part of the mission. She adjusted her hat and her mask and gripped both weapons in her hands.

* * *

Lyra and her group fired ink towards the Octomaw from all directions, the thing barely slowing down in any way. It of course attempted to eat them but the Inklings did well enough to stay away from its chomping path.

"How are we suppose to stop this thing?!" Lyra called still firing her weapon. The Octomaw would roar every once in awhile, once again removing the ink in the area, causing the Inklings to have to re-spread it. After one roar, the Octomaw raised its head and looked around. It dived into the ground and began swimming away from the group.

"Wait...where's it going?" Danny muttered as the group got together. Lyra paled as she and Magdaline ran forward.

"It's headed towards Shiro!" Lyra shouted. "Shiro! Move! Get from over there!" She cried out as the monster out swam them. From behind his hiding spot, Shiro smiled to himself. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He didn't expect to go out like this. Food for some giant robot thing. He didn't bother moving. He was having trouble even processing his surroundings.

So Shiro simply waited. The ground vibrating harder and harder as the machine grew closer. Shiro simply hoped his friends would stay safe. The monster roared out as it opened its maw and prepared to crash down on Shiro.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Lyra called as the monster leaped forward. The monster paused and stared forward before its mouth exploded with turquoise, its jaw dangling loosely for a moment as it stood surprised. It snapped its maw back in place while the Inklings stared on in confusion. The Octomaw roared out again in anger. Unfortunately, this left its mouth open for several Splat Bombs to enter.

The bombs went off one by one, by the time the last one exploded, the Octomaw's head exploded with it. The rest of its body hit the ground in a lifeless heap as the Inklings stared on in shock. Lyra rushed over to Shiro and wrapped her arms around him.

"Shiro! You're ok! Did you do that?" Shiro opened his eyes and gave Lyra a chuckle.

"I can barely feel my anything. I didn't do squat,"

"Then...who?..."

"You didn't think I'll let you just die like that did you?" Shiro and Lyra looked up as a figure jumped from the nearby building. "After all, you still owe me for that game,"

"Kelp!" Lyra screamed running to embrace the Inkling. Kelp returned the embrace and moved over towards Shiro.

"Hey there buddy. Aren't you tardy to the party?" Shiro groaned out. Kelp chuckled.

"Better late than never right?" Shiro nodded.

"Too true bro," The other Inklings joined the group and Kelp nodded towards them.

"There's a large Squad of Octarians coming this way. Prepare yourselves," The Inklings nodded and assisted in moving Shiro to a better guarded area.

* * *

Well, Octameri was right. It hadn't happened again. Cerata and Inkay were practically covered in purple ink and were breathing heavily as Octameri had returned to her calm smirking persona. Cerata had an ink blast hit her square in the leg and thus she found it hard to move. Inkay suffered a similar hit to his left shoulder, causing his arm to scream out in pain every time he tried to move it.

Octameri looked at Inkay before turning and charging towards Cerata, who raised her fists in preparation. Knowing that Cerata was injured, Inkay charged after Octameri.

"Don't you touch her!" Inkay called out. He jumped up, aiming both of his feet towards the back of Octameri's head. The Octoling quickly turned around and raised her arms in defense. Inkay kicked her arms, placing as much weight as he could on her makeshift shield before jumping over her head to dodge the fist she threw towards him.

Noticing Octameri distracted, Cerata threw a punch, hitting her sister behind the knee. Center of balance thrown off, Inkay grabbed one of Octameri's tentacles on his descent and pulled her back, throwing her over the side of the beam. Not to be out done, Octameri simply grabbed the beam as she fell and and used her momentum to swing to another beam on a lower level. She looked up with a growl.

"Trying to throw me in the ocean? I guess that would be the only way you could hope to beat me!" She yelled at Inkay. He and Cerata looked down upon Octameri with a wary glance. There was the level of beams Octameri stood on, then one more level before the ocean. Inkay and Cerata seemed more worried about gravity while Octameri wanted to simply win the battle.

"Why do you even keep fighting? You're beaten! Just accept it!" Octameri yelled.

"No! Just listen Meri! You're on the wrong side! Just let me explain!"

"Enough!" Octameri called out, her scream coming out with a background of a little jingle. Octameri raised a confused eyebrow at the unknown sound. Inkay and Cerata raised an eyebrow as well as the familiar tune rang out now of all times.

* * *

"I'm prepping the Killer Wail!" Lyra called out just before the jingle rang out. All throughout the city the jingle played. Octarians across the city wondered what while Inklings wondered why. Every screen in the city turned on, Inkopolis News Time displayed on the screen. The fighting didn't come to a complete stop, but things calmed down noticeably.

Kelp's group were hiding behind a barricade as Octarian forces closed in on their position. They barely paid attention to the now shining screens as they moved in on their foes. That however changed when a familiar voice came from the screen.

"You've lost! Any last words before I crush you flatter than a music note?" Octavio's machine sat on screen, fists raised high over its head as Octavio looked down triumphantly. A voice resonated from under the camera.

"Just a few questions. Why are you such a dud? The Great Zapfish belongs to us and you know it!"

"No it doesn't! It belongs to the Octarians! You Inklings stole it!"

"It used to belong to the Octarians, until _you_ lost it in a bet for land! You lost the duel against Cuttlefish and with it the rights to the Zapfish!" Octavio was quiet for a moment then scoffed.

"So what if I did? I'll right my wrongs when I slaughter your kind! In case you didn't know, my army is destroying your entire city!"

"I'm surprised that anyone would even follow you after a blunder like that," The voice scolded, causing Octavio to laugh.

"You think I would want to rule idiots like that? No, after my subjects figured out my mistake, I was quickly overthrown. It was a sad tune I'll give you that. But it was short lived. I devised some sick beats that wiped their minds of the mistake and made them loyal to me once again!" There was sudden silence across the city.

"So that's how you did it? How do you live with yourself?! Messing with people's minds just to further yourself?! That's disgusting!"

"Heck. I bet if I cranked up the bass I can take over the minds of all you pathetic Inklings too! But I truly don't want to see your stupid faces any longer!" Octavio raised a fist and brought it down towards the camera, a shriek echoing out as the screen cut out.

Kelp peaked over the shelter the squad hid behind at the Octarian forces that were marching towards them. They all were facing the screen, some muttering to others and some to themselves. A few Octolings stood at the head of the group, some fell to their knees as some fumed at the now off screens. Kelp took a deep breath and jumped over their barricade.

"Kelp! Kelp what're you doing?!" Lyra screamed. Kelp cautiously approached the Octarian group.  
He eyed the Octoling closest to him with a fierce look in his eye. This Octoling was visibly shaking as she stared at the darkened screen. She heard Kelp's footstep approach the group and her head snapped to him.

Kelp and the Octoling shared a glare, the Octoling baring her fangs in anger. Kelp didn't deter, but instead slowly extended his hand to her. The Octoling looked at the extended limb and growled. As hostile as she seemed, she gripped the Inkling's hand and shook it.

* * *

Octameri stood frozen in spot. Her mouth agape and flopping even though nothing came out. She simply stood where she was frozen. Cerata and Inkay stop and listened. The sounds of war had stopped. The two turned towards each other and gave a big smile. Cerata's plan worked. No one was fighting any more. Cerata wrapped her arms around Inkay in a celebratory hug.

Remembering their job wasn't quite over yet, the two looked down towards Octameri, who was still staring blankly into space. Inkay and Cerata shared a wary looked before Cerata spoke up.

"Octameri?" Her sister flinched and turned towards the higher Octoling. Inkay narrowed his eyes in hostility. He didn't trust that she'd have a change of heart so suddenly. Or maybe he was just salty on having his ass handed to him on a silver platter twice. Once with backup. And the torture to boot.

Cerata on the other hand had a hopeful expression on her face. Maybe this was just what she needed to snap her sister back to her senses. Octameri kept staring, mouth still moving but not really forming words. Eventually they did.

"Sister...I..." There was suddenly a rumbling. A loud rumbling. The three stumbled at the sudden shaking then looked out over the ocean. Dozens of Inkstrikes landed in the water. One by one Killer Wails went off. Weapons started during the speech attempting to activate without causing any more harm. Inkstrikes sent towards the ocean and Killer Wails tilted vertically to avoid damage. The city being filled with turquoise and purple once more.

Unfortunately, a few Killer Wails weren't raised that high. Inkay and Cerata had the fortune to be able to simply step further from the building to avoid a purple sound wave. Octameri however wasn't so fortunate. The entire beam she stood on was encased in turquoise. The two Octolings' eyes widened at the sight. Still in a bit of shock at the truth about Octavio and the sudden predicament she was in, Octameri stumbled, she fell onto her back and quickly rolled over. She fell from the beam right as the damaging part of the sound wave echoed.

She slammed face first into the last remaining beam, it making an audible creaking sound. The beam began slanting, dipping Octameri further and further towards the drop. She clawed at the steel beam to attempt to get any form of grip to prevent gravity's pull.

This luxury however wasn't granted to her until the last possible second. She grabbed the edge of the beam, causing it to dip even farther. She dangled with one arm over the increasingly unstable beam.

"Sister!" Cerata called out preparing to jump down to her sister's aid. Inkay grabbed Cerata just as she was about to be airborne and kept her in place.

"No! If you jump on the beam it'll collapse!" Octameri looked panicked. She looked around desperately then up to her sister. Cerata was reaching out for her, like she could somehow grab her from that distance. Octameri visibly calmed, a smirk crossing her face. She truly had the best sister. She on the other hand was the worse. She watched as Inkay brought Cerata down into a crouch, holding her in place. Octameri slowly reached up, taking her goggles off and casting them aside. She looked up to her sister with bright green eyes the same shade as Cerata's.

"Sister..." She said softly as Cerata froze. "I'm sorry...Use what I taught ya on him," There was another creak as the beam once again shifted. Octameri's grip faltered and and she began falling to the sea below.

"OCTAMERI!" Cerata screamed reaching out for her plummeting sister. Inkay grabbed her head and pulled her into his chest. Cerata gripped onto Inkay as he shielded her from the sight of her sister landing in the water. He simply held her as her grip tightened. "I thought...she'd have a chance to repent..." She said with a shaky voice. Still not sure how comforting is done, Inkay rubbed her head.

"I think her apology was enough," He didn't really think that. One too many blows to the head, but he had to attempt to make Cerata feel better. Cerata nodded into his shirt before standing up.

"We need to finish Octavio," She said, a new fire in her eyes. Inkay nodded as he rose to his feet as well.

"We're going to have to restock at my place. My tank is kinda broken,"

"Yeah...I lost my weapon..."

"It's ok. I have plenty," The two moved towards the building and headed back to Inkay's apartment.

* * *

The way back was filled with noise. Not war sounds, but a lot of chatter from both species. By the time Inkay and Cerata made it to Inkay's apartment, the Octarian ships were picking up the Octomachines. A few of the ships and docked near the ocean. The only ship that hadn't moved was the ship Octavio resided in.

When the two got to the tower the ship floated over, there was a large crowd consisting of both Octarians and Inklings. Both groups wanted to go and get rid of Octavio, but after dealing with the other Octarian machinery, Inklings didn't want to deal with Octavio's. The Octarians knew their weapons would have no effect on him, so he could easily just squish them with his. So slowly a crowd formed, angry but scared. Though they all had a common enemy now, they all still stuck with their own kind.

Inkay and Cerata however were of course the exception in both cases. They split the crowd with their presence. Cerata more so at her unusual color for an Octoling. They all watched as the two moved forward with a hardened glare. They approached the tower and made a stream to swim up, super jumping once they reached the top to get into the ship.

Once inside, the two began a full out sprint down the hall they came in. The two had their weapons ready, expecting Octavio to already be in full battle mode by the time they arrived.

"I hope Callie and Marie are okay," Cerata muttered through gasps. Inkay lowered his head and increased his speed.

"I'm sure they're fine. But that doesn't mean we should drag our feet. Let's increase the pace," Cerata nodded as they both began firing ink forward, swimming as quickly as they could. They didn't bother to stop at the door. Inkay kicked it open and he and Cerata charged in. Octavio raised an eyebrow at the intrusion but smiled.

"Agent 3," Octavio purred.

"Let them go Octavio!" Inkay screamed pointing his weapon towards the Octarian overlord. He had The Squid Sisters in the hands of his machine. Callie hung dangling by her ankle while Marie was hanging from her wrists. Both were unconscious and covered in purple.

"Who? These drama queens? Please. We were just discussing our new...living arrangements," He said shaking them a little.

"What are you talking about Octavio?" Cerata asked, weapon also pointing towards her foe.

"Oh. And the traitor too. Well, I was thinking that these too little squiddies could take up a new job as slaves to the great Octarian race!I'm sure these singing throats could be good for _something._ Maybe traitors like you will serve a similar fate," Octavio smiled at Cerata as she growled.

"You'll never know,"

"You sure? Cause I think I won!" He yelled holding the cousins up. "Don't think you'll do much better than these two did!"

"Why don't you put them down and come find out?" Inkay said practically snarling at the smirking person.

"Fine," Octavio cocked The Squid Sisters back one by one and threw them towards Inkay and Cerata. Callie slammed into Cerata and Marie into Inkay. The entire group rolled along the ground and came to a stand still near the door. Marie slowly opened her eyes with a groan.

"Ink...ay?" Marie gave her signature smile with heavy eyes. She gently ran her hand down his cheek. "I knew you wouldn't miss this of all things," Inkay smirked in return as Marie once again lost consciousness. Inkay and Cerata took the injured Inklings out the door and sat them on either side of it. They made a pool of turquoise ink under them to help them heal and looked at each other before nodding.

They entered the room with Octavio tapping his tentacles impatiently. He scowled as the two closed the door.

"You two ready? Or are you gonna go be all sentimental some more?" Inkay and Cerata raised their weapons towards Octavio. "Well all right!" Octavio activated his turntable and the tentacles on his machine twirled again, the fists knocking into each other as he laughed. "Time to drop the sea bass,"

* * *

 **Surprise! Did you miss me? I know I said I was gonna be with some friends, but father made me cancel because he's a paranoid over protective parent. But it's cool. I've already began plotting some passive aggressive teenage headaches for him. But onto what you guys care about: The story!**

 **So the war is pretty much over. The only thing left is Octavio, who doesn't yet know he's been abandoned. Kelp saved what's left of Shiro's life as the poor guy continues to slowly bleed out. Inkay and Cerata got knocked around a lot by Octameri, who ended up falling into the ocean after she learned the truth. How unfortunate. I bet Inkay would've preferred her as a teammate. so**

 **At one point in the story Octameri called Inkay MB. In case it wasn't obvious, she was calling him "My Bitch" like she did last chapter. And the Squid Sisters fought Octavio's new and improved machine and lost drastically. Will Inkay and Cerata fare much better? You'll have to wait til next time to find out. I think this story has about...two...maybe three chapters left in it. When on the home stretch guys! Here it comes!**

 **Like always I hope you enjoyed the chapter and a special thank you to those who review. Really gets me in the writing spirits. Merry Christmas, Happy New Years, Etc, Etc. Until next time.**

 **Astalabyebye,**

 **Bang**


	14. Octavio Vs

Lyra and Kelp stood over their wounded friend, fingers wound tightly around each other. Shiro was on one of the many medical beds housing both Inklings and Octarians. Octarians were rushed back to the direction of Octovalley, considering all the doctors present didn't truly know if their physiology was exactly similar enough to Inklings to work on, while all injured Inklings were sent to the nearest hospital. More serious cases were being worked on right away.

"Is he going to be okay?" Lyra called out to the doctor looking over Shiro. The Inkling wrapped several things around where Shiro's leg used to be and put her hand to his neck.

"He's lost a lot of blood. I'm sure if we work quickly and manage to get him a transfusion he'll be fine," The nurse stated quickly. Without so much as another glance to the two, she and another nurse began wheeling the unconscious Inkling away. Lyra and Kelp didn't take it personally. There were a lot of people that needed tending to.

Kelp removed his hand from Lyra and pulled her closer by wrapping his arm around her. She let out a shaky breath and Kelp rubbed her arm.

"He'll be okay. He's too persistent to let this be the last time we hear from him," Kelp smiled to her. Lyra looked up and gave him a small smile and a nod.

"I know. It's just...I worry. I'm still worried. Shiro lost a leg, Inkay and Cerata are still out there. I don't know how they're faring..."

"Cerata fought too?" Lyra chuckled with a scoff.

"She came back to Inkay's apartment with a batter and bruised Inkay with some mystery person right before Callie did the announcement. They left together so I guess so," Kelp raised a his hand to his mouth in thought.

"Interesting..." Lyra looked up towards the figure in the distance retreating with her friend when something else caught her ear.

"So did you know that Inkling who passed through here earlier?"

"No way dude. It looked like he was going to face that Octavio guy. But what was with that Octoling he was with?" Lyra perked with wide eyes and turned out of Kelp's grip, much to the squid's surprise.

"Excuse me, but you said an Inkling came through here with an Octoling right?" The two Inklings looked over the girl that stepped towards them and then the guy who walked up behind her.

"Yeah. Not that long ago,"

"Did the Inkling wear a Black Inky Rider and a Skull Bandanna? And the Octoling. Did she have turquoise tentacles with no goggles?" The two Inklings gave each other an odd look. Kelp noticed that they themselves had a few bruises, but nothing too severe.

"I didn't look towards her eyes, but the Octoling did have turquoise tentacles. And the guy did have the stuff you said,"

"Why? You know em?" Kelp placed his hand on Lyra's shoulder as she turned towards him.

"Lyra?"

"That was Inkay and Cerata,"

"Wait...Cerata?"

* * *

Bright red eyes glared at a screen. On it, Octavio was squaring off against Agent 3 and a traitor Octarian. The figure watched the two standing up against the machine he himself built. The fight hadn't gotten into full swing yet, but he already had an idea how it would turn out.

To him, it was obvious the relationship these two shared. Why else would one go against everything she was raised to believe? Everything she'd ever known, thrown away for someone not even her own race. The figure scoffed. Then again. Eventually this small scoff turned into a laugh.

The figure clawed at the keyboard in front of him as if he was trying to stifle just how funny he found it. He finally calmed down and returned his gaze to the screen in front of him. The two had moved the previous Inklings outside and had returned to face Octavio, Octavio preparing his machine.

"Good job Octavio. All according to plan,"

* * *

"Check out this smash hit!" Octavio screamed as he brought his robotic fist down towards his opponent's position. Inkay and Cerata jumped in opposite directions, avoiding the mechanical limb as it came down.

Glaring up at Octavio, Inkay noticed the machine was starting to tilt towards the left. He let out a growl and did a quick super jump, propelling himself over the limb just as Octavio had it drag towards him, leaving a long trail of purple behind it. Inkay blotted a spot as he landed and shot a few test rounds at Octavio. Like he expected, the ink never reached him as a barrier appeared and blocked them. Surprising Inkay however was the shield's color.

"You like?" Octavio chuckled. "New upgraded Ink Barrier. I'm more protected than I've ever been in this thing!" Cerata took a step back.

"That's not something I like to hear..."

"Calm down. I beat him before and I can beat him again. Just look for an opening," Octavio growled at Inkay's comment.

"Enough talk! Time to die!" Octavio spun his records more and the tentacles on the back of the machine spun faster. Mechanical fists resting at his sides, Octavio's entire machine shot forward, this time aiming for Cerata.

Cerata's eyes widened at the charging behemoth. She barely jumped out of the way as one of the fists shot towards her, the ground around it exploding in purple. She rolled a bit before turning her weapon towards Octavio. She fired a few rounds at the machine and Octavio only laughed.

"You must be thick in the head. Your ink won't work!" Octavio pulled back the fists and again they rested to the side of him.

A panel on the front of the machine began glowing a bright purple before turning into an all too familiar sight. Cerata froze as the rings signaling a Killer Wail surrounded her, the start up sound already making her tentacles shake as she stood wide eyed rooted to the spot.

"Cerata! Move!" Inkay tackled Cerata out of the way just as a Killer Wail echoed throughout the room. Quickly pulling Cerata to her feet, Inkay growled.

"What the hell?! Why'd you freeze up like that?!" He scolded keeping his eyes fixated on Octavio.

"I-I-I don't know. I mean, I'm trying to think of something to do but if we can't use our weapons then how do we-"

"We got this alright? Just trust me, and follow my lead," Cerata nodded and returned to her battle position, Inkay trying his best to calm down.

"Yes, yes. Follow his lead. Right into an early grave!" Octavio activated his turntable again and this time, several panels opened up from the side of the machine. From each panel several missiles shot out. The missiles shot outward and away from Octavio before turning to home in on Inkay and Cerata.

"Try to shoot them before they hit the ground!" Inkay called out taking the lead. Cerata followed, attempting to shoot down the flying weapons before they made contact. The ones they did shoot down exploded in a turquoise flash, bathing the ground beneath in their favor. Of course with the barrage sent towards them, a few slipped past their defenses.

The missiles hit the ground and exploded with much more force than when they were shot out of the sky. The force of one knocked Cerata clear off her feet, leaving a circle of purple at its crash sight.

"Now we're getting somewhere!" Octavio screamed as his machine did a twirl, the missiles refilling by the time he turned all the way around. They fired at Cerata as her eyes widened at the barrage coming her way. Inkay didn't hesitate to jump in front of her to start taking out missiles.

"Cerata what are you doing?!" Inkay yelled as he alternated throwing bombs and shooting to deflect the missiles. "Get your head in the game!" Cerata stared at Inkay's figure as he protected her, gawking at how bravely he fought. He was right. Her head wasn't in the game. She was scared. She had accepted the lost. Octameri was an opposing force but she was still an Octarian. She fought hand to hand. Well, fist to face, and she got hurt if Inkay and Cerata worked hard enough. She didn't know how they were going to hurt Octavio as long as he was in that machine. But Inkay was giving his all and so should she.

Cerata stood up and shook her head. She pulled Inkay to the side and they both simply out ran the remaining missiles, Octavio laughing at the display. Adjusting his turntable a bit, the top of the machine opened up five panels. The three in the middle were standard guns while the two on the far sides were snipers.

"Have some of this!" Octavio called as the guns began firing.

* * *

"Big sis? Are you even paying attention?"

"Hm? Oh, sorry Molly," Kiara ran a hand over her tentacles and let out a sigh. "It's a really nice picture," Molly smiled up at her sister as she turned back to her drawing. Kiara put her hand on her sister's head and gently rubbed it, Molly smiling to herself as she added more colors to her creation.

Kiara looked down at the young Inkling sitting in her lap. She then switched her sight to the field in the distance in front of them. It was really peaceful out. The air was clear, a gentle breeze cooled the sun's warming rays just right, and it was quiet. So why couldn't Kiara shake this feeling something bad was going on.

Her surroundings did nothing to help calm her and her unease only increased as time went on. She looked down at the girl sitting in her lap and wished she could be as at ease as her, but worry was wracking her brain and she didn't know what for,"

"Kiara..." Kiara turned her attention to the doorway where a dark skinned Inkling with purple tentacles stood in the doorway. "You need to come see this," Kiara nodded as the bad feeling got worse. She nudged Molly off her lap and stood to follow her friend inside. The Inkling guided Kiara inside to a TV and Kiara's mouth dropped as she stared dumbfounded at the screen and the headline on it:

"War in Inkopolis,"

* * *

Cerata and Inkay ran through the rain of purple, firing their weapons ahead to keep them from being stuck in barrage. With a growl, Inkay slid through a small path he had made, narrowly ducking under a sniper shot. He turned squid and swam back through the path. Jumping out, he began weaving through the ink flying towards him.

"What are you doing?" Cerata called trying to both keep her eyes on Inkay and keep moving.

"We have to try and get closer!" Inkay called back charging back towards Octavio.

"Oh yeah, come closer to your doom! That's a wonderful idea!" Octavio called as Cerata turned towards the machine and followed Inkay. "My new machine is only getting stronger as you run for your lives! Get an earful of this!" Two openings appeared on the front of Octavio's machine. The opens glowed a bit, obviously charging up an attack.

Inkay continued his charge, inking the purple that was spread by the missiles earlier. His idea was to keep moving. Octavio seemed to always have problems hitting moving targets. He ran forward while firing his weapon, keeping an eye on the weapon to make sure it didn't start in front of him. It wasn't long before a familiar beeping caught his attention.

The turquoise ink he had spread had a purple light flashing at one point, a small beeping coming from it. Turning to notice where the noise and light was coming from, Inkay's eyes widened.

"The missiles drop Ink Mines?!" Inkay screamed coming to a halt and trying to back up. The mine went off, knocking Inkay off his feet and re-covering the ground in purple. Inkay groaned, a ringing in his ear drowning out the laughter of Octavio.

"Inkay look out!" Cerata pulled Inkay up with a twirl as two Killer Wails rang out. The first was aimed at Inkay's location while the other was a short distance away. Cerata and Inkay stood straight back to back, Killer Wails screaming on both sides of them. They pressed their backs tighter against each other in an attempt to avoid the deadly sound waves.

"What do we do now?" Cerata muttered, barely enough room to move her arm. Inkay glanced around for a way out. Seeing no way out, Inkay stayed silent, focusing his energy on finding one.

"Ha I got you know!" Octavio screamed with a laugh. "Any last words before I make the Killer Wails converge and splat you all over the wall?" Cerata and Inkay glanced over their shoulders at their comrade, their tentacles blowing in the force of eminent death on both sides of them.

"Nothing brain dead algae like you'd understand," Inkay growled causing Octavio to glare.

"Know when you're beat boy! I've won! Now die!" Scratching the records on his turntable, the Killer Wails jerked towards the two who dared to oppose Octavio. They flinched as the sound waves inched closer and closer.

"Inkaaaaay," Cerata groaned. Inkay simply held her hand as a bead of sweat ran down his head. Then the Killer Wails stopped. They still rang out, which was a much longer time than the average Killer Wail, but the two stopped converging.

"What the?...Ugh...Really?! That's as far as it goes?!" Octavio fiddled with the turn table, the Killer Wails actually diverging and giving the two trapped between room to move. The Killer Wails moved completely horizontal to Octavio's machine causing Octavio to growl. "Ugh! That's such horrible design. I'll have to scold that guy later..." There was the sound of a light pinging that made Octavio look up. Inkay and Cerata were firing at the machine, trying to find some weak point on it, causing Octavio to chuckle. Messing with his turntable again, the fists on the machine shifted, pointing towards the two firing at it. Inkay and Cerata changed to a more defensive position.

"And what exactly was that?" Octavio laughed.

"Wishful thinking..." Cerata groaned.

"No matter! The Killer Wails may only diverge, but I have lot's of energy to use my other weapons!" The fists unraveled and pointed the four fingers at Inkay and Cerata. Taking steps further back, Octavio laughed as with flick of the wrist, each hand shot an Inkzooka blast towards the two.

* * *

"Listen to me Kelp, we got to get up there," Lyra called pulling Kelp by the wrist towards the tower under the Octarian mother-ship.

"I agree with you Lyra, really I do, but think about it. What do we do once we're up there?" Lyra stopped, not turning towards her boyfriend. "I mean, we had trouble dealing with the standard machines running around. What are we going to do with Octavio's...thing?"

"Well we can't just let Inkay and Cerata fight on their own. We have to do something," She said turning towards Kelp. Kelp grabbed her other hand and nodded.

"I agree, but we need a plan. We can't go up there and be a casualty," Lyra took a deep breath and nodded.

"But we have to think of something quick," There was a loud rumble, everyone's head snapping towards the sound. The mother ship was moving. It started out a barely noticeable movement that climbed to a crawl and continued to speed up. "Wait...where's it going? Kelp where's it going?!" Lyra said as she and Kelp began making steps to follow the giant hunk of metal.

"I don't know but we're following it!" Kelp called out as he and Lyra began a mad sprint through the crowd. A handful of people doing the same. Their was a sound of static that echoed throughout the city, everyone looking around curiously for the source.

* * *

Inkay jumped forward as a blast of ink flew past him. He threw a seeker and used it to keep a path as he avoided the repeated Inkzooka blasts. Several times he let out a curse as he passed mine after mine and had to adjust his direction.

Cerata was in a similar position. She jumped from turquoise puddle to turquoise puddle in octopus form to avoid the blasts fired at her. She took the moment the blasts were charging to make a safe route and study the area. Octavio was laughing as he fired at his enemies and it only served to make Cerata angry.

Inking a path that got her closer to Octavio, she jumped forward, flinging a Suction Bomb into the openings in the hand. The bomb hit the shield and disappeared without any sign it had even been thrown. Cerata growled as Octavio laughed harder. He stopped firing Inkzookas, the hands curling back into fists as he brought them back to his sides.

"Yeah, keep doing that. You're really hurting me. It's not like my shield is adapted to turquoise now and every hit you make powers it up," The fists twisted and aimed at Inkay and Cerata. "There's no way you can hurt me as long as I'm in this machine. You lasted longer than the other two so just give up already,"

"Never!"

"We're bringing you down!" Octavio let out a groan.

"This isn't even fun anymore. Just die!" The fists shot forward one at a time. Inkay fired at the one aimed at him, hoping to reflect it like the last time he faced Octavio. There was no such luck as the shield once again appeared around the mechanical limb. Inkay jumped far to his right and rolled out of the way just as the fist hit the ground with an explosion of ink. Inkay groaned as his body stung from landing in a batch of purple. He reached back to his ink tank and threw a Burst Bomb to the ground he laid on and rose to his feet.

"Ha! You didn't think I would let the same flaw that got me defeated last time stick around did you?" Cereta took small steps back as the fist approached her. Timing her jump perfectly, she managed to land on the limb far back enough that the ink didn't reach her.

She wasted no time in running up the mechanical limb towards the machine's body. Inkay glanced over at the limb and his eyes widened at the Octoling running towards Octavio.

"Cerata! What are you doing?!"

"Making progress!" Cerata called back as Octavio began withdrawing his fist.

"Like hell you are! Get away from me!" He shot the fist on his free arm towards the charging Octoling, who only increased her running speed to dodge it. "Stay away stay away stay away!" Octavio screamed as he activated the guns on the top of the machine. The barrage did slow Cerata down drastically, but she still made her way forward.

"Cerata don't! You can't do that!" Inkay called inking a path towards the edge of the platform.

"Yeah _Cerata!_ Back off!" Octavio began spinning before throwing the arm Cerata ran on into the air. The Octoling was sent flying high in the air. She balled herself up until she reached the peak of her ascent. She raised her right leg over her head, and with a war cry, let gravity take effect. Octavio's eyes widened as the Octoling descended upon his location.

Inkay watched in mute horror as Cerata got closer and closer to Octavio's cockpit. Right as Octavio was practically in range, Cerata brought her leg down in a devastating axe kick. Well, it would've been devastating if the shield hadn't appeared inches over Octavio's head. Cereta's eyes widened and Octavio's narrowed as he smirked at her.

"Oh? You thought the shield only reflected ink? How...unfortunate for you," With a sudden shake, Octavio rebounded Cerata, sending her flying away from his machine, but not far enough to land safely on the platform.

"Cerata!" Completely thrown off and unprepared, Cerata twirled in the air ungracefully as Inkay sprinted towards the edge of the platform. Righting herself, Cerata reached out for Inkay as he jumped, reaching over the edge. Stretching as far as they could, the two reached for each other, fingers outstretched. When it was time for them to grab hold of each other, they missed.

Cerata found herself watching Inkay's figure disappear above the platform as gravity continued to pull on her. She felt her heart stop at the sudden realization that she was now falling to her death. She found herself staring at the edge of the platform as things seemed to go in slow motion. So this was it? She was honestly terrified to look behind her, like that would speed up her demise. Is this what Octameri felt like? A tear escaped her eye and the thought of perishing so similar to her sister. The major difference was how she knew Octavio would be celebrating her death.

She silently accepted her fate as she continued her descent. She expected the sting of the ink any second now. She didn't expect Inkay to come jumping over the edge.

"Inkay?!" Cerata screamed, her voice confused and scared at the idiotic Inkling speeding towards her. "What the hell are you doing?!" Reaching his arms towards her, Inkling shouted his response.

"Transform!" Confused but realizing their life was on the line, Cerata obeyed. Inkay caught up to Cerata and wrapped his arms around her form, holding her to his chest as he shifted position so it was like he was sitting. "I'm not letting you go like this!" Inkay growled.

"That's disgustingly sweet! But at least you get to die holding each other right? Hahahahaha!" Octavio threw his head back and laughed in triumph. Inkay himself transformed into a squid, his longer tentacles wrapped tightly around Cerata. His body slowly began to swell, growing bigger and bigger as they fell.

Right as they were about to make contact with the dangerous liquid, Inkay super jumped with as much force as his body could muster. The force rippling the pool of purple. Inkay and Cerata shot through the air, Octavio looking on with wide eyes as the two transformed at the peak and crashed onto the bottom platform with enough force that even the purple ink didn't slow them down.

Cerata groaned at the pain of her body bouncing along the ground and the different colored ink before realizing there were more important matters at hand. She raised herself up and looked towards Inkay's unmoving form.

"Inkay?" Cerata whispered moving towards the Inkling, shooting turquoise beneath her, then him and rolling him over. Inkay groaned at his movement then fought to open his eyes. "What were you thinking?! You could've died!" Cerata scolded. What he did was completely idiotic. If he hadn't jumped in time they both would've died to the ink. And to make an already bleak situation even more bleak, it looked like Inkay had used a lot of ink just to make that super jump. His eyes were at least several shades duller and his entire body seemed paler, especially with veins seeming to pop out here and there. Even his ink tank was empty. Inkay fought to raise himself up.

"Well you would've died...Ugh..And I can't have that," With a struggle, Inkay returned to his feet, wobbly and uneven, but he did. Octavio scoffed.

"Man you die hard. Seriously though, why don't you just stay down already?!" Octavio screeched pressing a button in his cockpit. Cerata stood up and readied her weapon. Inkay readied his as well and prepared for the worse. The top of the machine opened up and Octavio chuckled lowly as an Inkstrike missile slowly raised into view. Cerata and Inkay's eyes widened as compared to the standard Inkstrike missiles, this one was huge. At least three times as thick.

"Just hold still and _die!_ " Octavio activated the Inkstrike, a loud rumbling echoing throughout the room. The Inkstrike shot straight up from Octavio's location and Inkay and Cerata watched it ascend and come to a slow stop before falling back towards Octavio. Inkay and Cerata raised a confused eyebrow at the descending weapon. The look was replaced with fear as Octavio grabbed the Inkstrike with his machine and threw it towards the two.

"Move!" Cerata called grabbing Inkay by the wrist and running. The Inkstrike hit their previous location, but exploded in a dome shape and sent a large radius of purple ink spiraling. The force knocked both Inkay and Cerata off their feet as the ink practically consumed them both. They let out a scream as the explosion caused them to once again crash into the ground. When it all died down, Inkay and Cerata laid face down in purple. Cerata's body shook lightly as she fought to raise her head, coughing up the foreign colored ink as she did.

"Are you kidding me?! You're still alive?! Fine, whatever! You won't be when I simply crush you," Octavio began moving his machine over the platform for the first time. Cerata forced herself onto her elbows and moved the few feet towards Inkay, her body shaking and having trouble moving. When she finally reached him, she took his hand in hers. He slowly opened his eyes, the white of them purple just like she predicted they would be.

"Cer...rata..." Inkay choked out trying to steady his eyesight. Cerata didn't respond. She simply gripped his hand a bit tighter as Inkay laid his head down in pain. Cerata fought to her feet, Inkay trying to keep his grip on her as she rose. "Cer...rata...don't..." Cerata stumbled a bit when she got to her feet and slowly stepped towards Octavio. She stood between him and Inkay and stood as straight as her body would let her. Her weapon had gotten lost in the explosion but that wasn't going to keep her from standing up to this liar.

"Still got some fight left in you huh? I'm sure you were a great warrior at some point. How unfortunate you had to turn into a traitor,"

"It's over Octavio,"

"Yes I'm aware,"

"You've lost,"

"Wait? What?"

"You've lost,"

"I've lost?"

"You just don't know it yet," Octavio let out a scoff then a laugh.

"I've lost? Maybe I spoke too soon about you. You have made no progress since you've started this fight! Not a bruise, not a bump, not the slightest idea on how to bring me down! Yet you say I lost?" With a glare and her fists to her side, Cerata nodded. Octavio lowered his eyes at the girl and scoffed again. The mechanical limb cocked back and Cerata flinched. "Whatever helps you rest in peace," Cerata closed her eyes and waited for the metal fist to come down on her.

"I think that's enough out of you Octavio," Cerata's tentacles were blown back at how close the fist came to splatting her. Octavio let out a growl at the voice as he glared around.

"Cuttlefish...where are you?! Show yourself!"

"Why don't you back up and take a good look?" With another growl Octavio backed up his machine.

"Cuttlefish...I'm so angry that Octameri didn't leave you dead in that shack, but I'm so glad that I get to finish...the...job?..." Octavio's eyes widened as he backed up far enough to see the second level of the room. At the top he could see Cuttlefish, battered and bruised with bandages covering practically his entire body. But he stood there with a hand behind his back and his signature cane in his other hand.

"Really now?" Cuttlefish said nonchalantly.

"B-b-b-b-but...how?"

"You're going to have to be more specific Octavio,"

"How did you get in here?! My army was winning! I know they were!" Cuttlefish nodded his head in agreement while looking around.

"Yeah they were. I mean I didn't participate in this here war, but I know how it was going,"

"B-but then, how are all _they_ here?!" Octavio screamed, his eyes frantically looking over the army of Inklings surrounding Cuttlefish. There would be less fear in his eyes if they were all turquoise and not the rainbow of colors set before him. "And where is my army?!" Cuttlefish grew a grin under his mustache/beard combo and looked to the side.

"Oh, they're around," As if on cue, Octarian forces poked their heads through the crowd. Octavio paled as they began yelling at him.

"You liar!"

"You're nothing but a fake!"

"You don't deserve to rule!" Octavio slowly backed up his machine and rotated, noticing that the entirety of the the second level was filled to the brim with Inklings and Octarians. The Inklings stood quietly as the Octarians continued their uproar. It was then Octavio noticed that each and every Inkling was holding a weapon. But not standard guns oh no. Each one had either an Inkstrike, Killer Wail, or Inkzooka.

Octavio was visibly shaking. He was warned not to take on different colors at once with the new machine and here he was practically facing a rainbow.

"It's sad it had to come to this Octavio," Cuttlefish said shaking his head.

"I told you," Octavio's head snapped to Cerata, who was helping Inkay to his feet. "You've lost," Octavio looked up again at all the weapons aimed at him, a bead of sweat rolling down his face.

"Cross-fade...to black?" Octavio muttered as he stared forward.

"Sorry Octavio. There won't be a cross-fade to black this time," Inkay groaned pressing a button on his ink tank. With a yank his weapon turned into the Inkzooka. Too injured to hold the weapon on his own, Cerata held the end on her shoulder as Inkay aimed and held the trigger. "Just an explosion of color," Winking at Octavio and striking a Squid Sister pose, Cerata added

"Stay fresh!"

"Fire!" Cuttle fish yelled as every weapon present shot towards Octavio's position. Octavio's pupils dilated as he could see the shield spasm from all the different colors hitting it. It eventually shattered and Octavio let out a scream as he felt his body get consumed and splattered from all the attacks.

His machine followed suit, it exploding sending a slight drizzle of rainbow ink falling in the room, the great zapfish floating where it once did. Inklings shouted for joy and celebrated the defeat of their enemy. Victory for the Octolings was a bit more bittersweet. They celebrated in silence. Cerata grabbed Inkay in a hug as they both cheered with the other Inklings.

"We did it Inkay. Sure we had help, but we did it," Inkay nodded, a wide smile on his face. Things suddenly got dim. "Inkay? Inkay are you okay?" Inkay's legs gave out under him as he began to fall backwards. The last thing he heard was Cerata calling his name.

* * *

Inkay woke with a groan. It was too bright in here. He brought his hand to his face and covered his eyes.

"Inkay? You're awake?" Struggling to get his bearings, Inkay turned towards the voice. Eyes finally adjusting, he noticed Cerata sitting in a chair next to him.

"Awake? I gotta be. Dreams don't hurt this much," Inkay felt Cerata place her hand on his and he smiled. "So we did it huh?"

"Yeah. I guess we did," Inkay stretched all his limbs, a satisfied moan escaping his lips.

"I don't know about you, but I think I can sleep for a week," Cerata chuckled as she leaned back in her chair.

"Well, you already been out twenty four hours,"

"Really?" Inkay said sitting up straight. He glanced down at the hospital robe he sat in then around the room. He hated hospitals but he guessed he kind of needed a look over. He didn't know how reliable the machine in his apartment was. He just used it in the spur of the moment to make sure he got back in the fight as quickly as possible.

The room was a large standard hospital room, a curtain separating his side from what he assumed was another resident. He leaned his back against the headboard of his bed rubbed his eyes again.

"I guess I already have a head start," Cerata smiled to herself as Inkay squirmed to a more comfortable position. "So you've been here the whole time?" Cerata gave a small nod.

"I felt like you were here in part because of me. I wanted to watch you," Inkay playfully raised an eyebrow.

"Watch me sleep? That's kinda creepy Cerata," Cerata gently pushed Inkay's shoulder with a chuckle.

"Not like that idiot!" The two laughed as Inkay slowly laid back again.

"I guess I need to thank you huh?" Inkay said staring towards the ceiling. Cerata turned a shade darker as she looked at the Inkling.

"For what?"

"Well, you saved me. I don't know if I would've lasted as long against Octavio if you didn't take some of the heat off. You're a really good fighter," Cerata placed her hands on her legs and looked towards the ground. She didn't know why Inkay's praise had this affect on her, but it did.

"Nonsense. I was in the way. You saved me more often than not and that kept you from focusing on Octavio. You would've done just fine on your own," Inkay chuckled as he turned towards Cerata. He gently took her hand in his again and she looked up to her.

"I don't know about that, but I'm really glad you were there," Cerata looked into Inkay's eyes and vice versa as the two grew silent.

"Now kiiiiiiiiiss," Inkay and Cerata snapped towards the curtain separating the room just as the corner moved back in place.

"Shiro?" Inkay questioned as Cerata leaned back in her chair, rolling her eyes with a smirk.

"We know you're awake Shiro,"

"No I'm not," Was the response from behind the curtain. Inkay and Cerata simply chuckled as Shiro let out a groan. He slid the curtain fully out of the way and let his presence be known. "Sorry guys. I ruined the mood...it's just...I'm fanboying," Shiro pushed his cheeks together making a puffer face with big sparkly eyes. "I ship you guys so hard!" Inkay simply gave Shiro a weird look while Cerata blushed and chuckled.

"What are you even doing here Shiro?" Inkay questioned. Shiro simply raised up his lack of a leg and Inkay's eyes widened. "My god Shiro. What happened?"

"Some giant cube thing splatted it while I was saving Lyra. It's no big deal. Just having to play the hero as always," Inkay chuckled at how bright Shiro was despite his missing limb.

"Where are Lyra and Kelp anyway?" Inkay questioned. Cerata looked at the clock in the room.

"They should be here soon,"

"Yeah, especially since they've been here pretty much every hour on the hour to check on us," Shiro added laying down and resting his head on his hands," As if on cue, Lyra and Kelp walked into the room, Lyra's face brightening up at the sign of Inkay sitting up in bed.

"Inkay!" She called running up and wrapping her arms around his neck. "You're awake!" Inkay chuckled and hugged her back as Kelp walked over with a smirk. Kelp ruffled Inkay's tentacles as Lyra let him go.

"Why doesn't Shiro get the smother treatment?"

"Oh he did. Twenty four hours ago cause he wasn't in a small coma," Kelp chuckled.

"Yep. I already got my fifteen minutes of fame," Shiro said with a chuckle. Lyra looked at Shiro with a small smirk.

"I think you may get a little overtime," Shiro looked at her a bit confused as the door opened again.

"Magdaline?" Shiro questioned as he sat up in his bed.

"Hey Shiro," Magdaline greeted stepping further into the room.

"What're you doing here?"

"Well I saw Lyra and Kelp on my way in so I decided to check up on you. See how you were doing,"

"Oh. Well, doing the best I can,"

"That's great," Magdaline said with a small smile. She glanced across the room and noticed Inkay and Cerata. "Oh, you must be Inkay and Cerata," She said crossing the room and shaking their hands. "Lyra was worried sick about you two. I'm Magdaline by the way," Inkay gave a nod as the Inkling retracted her hand.

"I bet. She was always a worrywart," Inkay gave Lyra a smirk as she stuck her tongue out at him.

"It was really smart of you. Ya know, to put Octavio on screen when he declared his shield's capabilities,"

"What do you mean?" Inkay questioned.

"Right when Octavio declared how his shields were impervious to turquoise? The screens lit up and displayed that when the ship was going to land. Everyone was going to charge in turquoise flowing until we heard that. Then everyone scattered to get a variety of colors," Inkay and Cerata gave each other a weird look before turning towards Magdaline.

"Neither of us did that," Magdaline tilted her head in confusion at the two.

"Oh? Well, you two still fought extremely well. Amazing really,"

"Well, thank you," Cerata smiled at the girl who smiled back.

"How are your friends by the way?" Lyra asked. Magdaline gave a sad smile as she turned towards the girl.

"Everyone's been better...Angela seems to be suffering from PTSD. We're worried she'd fall into a deep depression...Danny blames himself for the state everyone's in...especially Jeremy...but we're trying to mend the pieces," Lyra put a hand on her shoulder, the room saddening.

"I'm sorry," Magdaline forced a smile.

"It's ok, I just wanted to see if my new friends were okay," She said glancing over to Shiro. Shiro smirked.

"Well I don't know about these squids, but I've never been better. Even gotta new battle scar," Magdaline giggled as she approached Shiro's side of the room.

"I'm surprised you have so much positiveness missing a limb,"

"Please. I have more happiness in my pinky finger than, say, Inkay has in his entire body," Shiro said sticking his tongue out at the Inkling, who did the same. Magdaline chuckled and approached Shiro.

"I think I can use some of that in my life," Magdaline gave Shiro a piece of paper and headed towards the door. "I have to go check on my other friends. I'll hear from you guys. Bye," The group said their goodbyes as Shiro glanced at the piece of paper given to him.

"Guys, guys! I got a number!" Shiro exclaimed. "A hot girl's number! With a kinda...fierce personality I may add," The group rolled their eyes at the Inkling rolling around on his bed, goofy grin on his face. "And all it took was a city wide war, and the loss of a limb. And people say love is hard" The group laughed as Kelp turned towards Inkay.

"Anyway, just hurry up and get better. The meeting is on hold until you get out,"

"Meeting? What meeting?" Cerata cleared her throat, getting his attention.

"Yeah I was going to tell you, but you woke up when your friends came over. So it got real mushy before I got the chance,"

"Well what's going on?"

* * *

Inkay ran his hand over his tentacles for seemingly the one hundredth time. He glanced around the curtain into the audience. On one side there were Inklings as far as the eye could see, colors spread randomly throughout the crowd. On the other side Octarians sat. Though still heavily outnumbered by Inklings, there were still a lot of them.

Inkay stepped back behind the curtain and let out a sigh. He was wearing standard Inkling battle armor minus his tinted lens. He took a glance towards the curtain and took a seat in a nearby chair.

"What am I even doing here?"

"Getting rewarded," Inkay glanced over and smiled, standing up and walking towards the voice's owner.

"Agent 1. Agent 2," Inkay said as the two disguised Inklings approached him.

"Inkay. It's nice to meet you," The two agents saluted Inkay, who chuckled and did the same. The three held the pose for a moment before bursting into laughter. The three moved into a group hug.

"I'm glad you guys are okay,"

"It's all thanks to you," Agent 1 said smiling. "You came in right in the nick of time,"

"Yeah, but next time, try not to cut it so close," Inkay chuckled as the group separated.

"Yeah, I'll be sure to move my feet faster,"

"What are you worried about anyway?" Agent 1 questioned.

"It's not like you have to do anything. Just go out there, get your reward and look pretty," Agent 2 added. Inkay rolled his eyes with a smirk.

"Not sure why I'm nervous either. It's not like I'm the third agent who fought and slaughtered maybe hundreds of Octarians who will be given a reward at the peace meeting between them and the Inklings," Agent 2 crossed her arms.

"You're not. You're Leviathan. Brave Inkling who teamed up with an Octoling to stop a lying ruler," Inkay shrugged.

"Listen, you're gonna be fine,"

"Let's welcome them out now!"

"Speaking of, seems like it's time for us to go out," Inkay sighed and followed the two agents to the other side of the curtain. On the stage with them was a tall Inkling with bright blue tentacles and a tan. He wore a black suit and a thin pair of glasses.

Inkay smiled as from the opposite side of the stage, Cerata approached, dressed in her Octoling gear. She gave a small wave which Inkay returned with one of his own. Inkay stood furthest from the dressed Inkling, beside Agent 2, who stood next to Agent 1. Cerata stood on the opposite side of the Inkling as he continued.

"It is with great honor, that I introduce to you, Agents 1 and 2, the Inklings responsible for revealing Octavio's motives," The crowd erupted into applause. "And Leviathan Squiliam, along with Cerata Entero, who fought and revealed said man's weaknesses," The crowd erupted again. Agent 1 and Agent 2 stepped up to the Inkling, Agent 1 speaking first.

"I'd hate to be that person, but we have something we need to be doing,"

"Agent stuff so don't ask,"

"Terribly sorry Mr. President," The President simply nodded, stepping forward and pinning a small medallion on both Agents. They immediately turned to the audience and gave a short bow before exiting the stage.

"So you two will be staying the entire time won't you?" Inkay and Cerata gave a nod and the Inkling laughed. "Wonderful! Now please step up and receive your medals. Inkay and Cerata stepped forward. Inkay extended his hand towards Cerata and she scoffed. She threw her arms around him in a quick hug. Some of the crowd grew quiet, while others clapped.

Inkay and Cerata stood in front of the President and claimed their medals. Inkay glanced down at his medal after it was pinned on. It was a squid and octopus fused downed the middle, representing the new union. Once their medal was given, Inkay and Cerata returned to their position.

"Now, I have talked enough and now the new ruler of the Octarian race will inform you of the future. Please help me welcome, Apalo Atalunul!" The crowd applauded as the Octarian side of the stage began moving. Inkay watched as another Octoling came from behind the curtains.

Inkay's eyes widened at the sight. Other Inklings in the crowd did as well. The figure was tall with a little bit of muscle. But the shocking thing was that this was a male Octoling. Inkay, along with all other Inklings, thought Octolings only came in female, but this, Apalo guy was proof against that. He had two of his tentacles tied into one bang that curved around his left eye and the other two tied back in a ponytail. Apalo stepped from behind the curtain with his eyes closed, but when he opened them, the entire area got a sudden chill.

His eyes were such a bright red they seemed to out glow the lights in the room. The president stepped back off stage while Apalo took his place, looking out over the crowd. Even though Apalo wasn't looking directly at him, Inkay still felt his glare pierce his being. He stood with his hands behind his back and stood silently for a moment.

"My fellow Octarians. My new Inklings friends. Recently, we've all faced a great crisis. We faced it as enemies, but we've come out of it as allies. We, as the Octarians, have made grave errors, and it has caused both damage to Inkling property, and lives. We will make amends for our mistakes. We will assist in rebuilding the damage our machines have caused, in hopes of a brighter future," The Inklings cheered as Apalo waited patiently for them to calm down.

"And news for my Octarian brethren. I have discussed other things with the Inkling president. Once we have righted our wrongs, he has decided to help us. After a trial period, Inklings and Octarians will live not only in peace, but have the option to live within the same city. And immediately after we fix the damages caused, dear Mr. President will allow us to borrow a few zapfish and assist us in building up our communities, even going as far as helping us create new power sources," The Octarians cheered.

"I'm glad that I could be here, speaking at the meeting that will once again have Inklings and Octarians working together as friends!" The crowd went up in cheers. "We will begin rebuilding tomorrow. But tonight, we will eat, drink, and be merry," Doors on both sides of the room opened and both Inklings and Octarians exited with rows upon rows of food, the room instantly becoming filled with a pleasant aroma.

"I will be the first to give a toast to Inkay and Cerata," He continued as an Octarian walked up and gave him a glass. "The Inkling and Octoling who worked together, the first positive interaction between our species in so many years. I encourage you all to follow in their footsteps. Make some new friends of a different species tonight. And a thank you! To Cerata, and Inkay," Apalo glanced over to Cerata, then slowly over to Inkay.

"Thank you Cerata and Inkay!" The crowd repeated. Inkay, didn't hear them though. He was frozen by those red eyes looking at him in such a...predator like way. Inkay swallowed and glanced over to the crowd. Apalo stepped out of the way towards a table and Cerata stepped towards Inkay. They smiled at each other as both Octarians and Inklings came up to have a word with them.

* * *

 **One more chapter down! Hope you enjoyed it. I didn't really care for this chapter that much. I realized that I kinda wrote myself into a corner with Octavio's machine. It was kinda hard to make it an interesting fight when it was really impossible. But I hope that everything came out in a way you all enjoyed.**

 **I also hope it all flowed well. These are things I worry about.**

 **So Shiro may get himself a gf in Maddie. Even with a missing leg. Shows you just gotta stay positive.**

 **And we finally got a look at the red eyed figure. A male Octoling. He seems sorry for how the Octarians did the Inklings and is doing his best to make amends with the Inklings. What a nice guy.**

 **So that's the story. Hope you enjoyed. Tell your friends! It was nice knowing you!**

 **But wait! There's more! I see about 2 more chapters in this story. What will they contain? You'll just have to wait and see. ;)**

 **Also,**

 **Aura Spirit: I thank you greatly. I'm sorry my references elude you so.**

 **And I see that some of you ship Octameri and Inkay. And you can do what you want. This the internet. I gots no power over you. But shipping someone with the person who literally put holes in his hands along with some other forms of torture:**

 **y'all mofos need Jesus.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, thank you for reading and a special thank you to those who reviewed. Until next time**

 **Astalabyebye,**

 **Bang**


	15. Epilogue 1

**What's this? Me responding to Reviews before the story? Egad!**

 ***clears throats***

 **Guest: Yes. Cue the Unibrow**

 **Splattifying Agent 2: I don't know who promised you lemony flavoring but it wasn't me. The only time lemon is mentioned in this story was when Cerata cleaned Inkay's house. I went back and checked.**

Inkay reached the door of his apartment and opened his mouth in a satisfying yawn. He fiddled in his pocket until he retrieved the keys to his door and stepped inside. He stretched before closing the door behind him and locking it. He ran a hand over his tentacles and walked to his living room, plopping down on his couch with an _oomph._

He was really tired. Today was another exhausting day. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was barely 9:30. He groaned. He must be getting old. Or all the shit he'd been through took some years off his life. He wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

He sank further into his couch and reached for the remote. By the time he wrapped his fingers around the gadget, he suddenly felt too tired to stare blankly at a screen. Maybe he should just be old and call it a day.

Placing the remote back on the table it started on, he took a small interest in the picture that laid there. He picked it up by the corner and brought it closer for inspection. It was from the peace meeting party thing awhile back. It was a picture of his squad, Shiro included, Kiara, and Cerata clicking glasses together.

A small smile crossed his face. How long was it since this picture was taken? Like...four months? He had been with his squad a few times since then and his sister demanded his presence several times from him being "stupid" during the war. Cerata however, Inkay hadn't seen her since.

Well, he'd caught passing glimpses of her. But that was it. They were both really busy. Inkay was volunteering in helping rebuild and building up Octarian life, while Cerata was busy with political side of things at the moment, having to take Octameri's spot until things calmed down.

Unfortunately, that was taking longer than everyone originally thought. Some people weren't completely with the idea of peace and two terrorist groups, one Octarian and one Inkling rose up. With assistance from Octarian machines, the destruction of Inkopolis was finished in about two months. It would've been done sooner had it not been for the terrorist groups.

Apalo had calmly pointed out that people scared of change would of course linger. He swore that he would make sure no Octarian under him was a part of the terrorist group, and that any Octarian caught in said group could be prosecuted as the Inklings saw fit. His speech won over a lot of Inklings actually.

But regardless Cerata was the second face of the Octarian race at the moment. Speaking when Apalo was busy and addressing topics during meetings. From what he heard, Apalo wanted her to help establish a better relationship with the Inklings considering she was the one who fought Octavio, and currently the only Octarian who could change colors. When the footing was set, she could do whatever she wanted.

Still, Inkay missed talking to her. As long as these terrorists were causing trouble, the relationship between the two races would be strained and she'd be busy. It was ironic really. He volunteered so he'd be close to her and be helpful at the same time. He didn't mind helping the Octarians thrive, but the decision seemed like a severe miss at the moment.

Oh well. Maybe he should go to sleep. If he got up early he could probably run and get some breakfast for the first time in awhile. He volunteered a seven-to-seven shift just cause. Maybe he felt a bit guilty for all the Octarians he killed. Whatever the reason, he was going to be there at seven again.

He placed the picture back on the table and stood up. He stretched for a moment, a satisfied groan leaving his lips as he stepped towards the hall. Right as he stepped into it, there was a soft knock at the door. He turned towards it with a raised eyebrow. Who could that be? All of his friends were busy with one thing or another. Maybe Shiro finally got the hang of his prosthetic leg and came over to show it off.

Regardless he approached the door, running his hand over his tentacles and finally pulling the string that held them up in a ponytail off.

"Who is it?" He called standing on the other side of the door. Usually he'd just open the door and see who it was, but he had to be cautious. There were two terrorist organizations that hated his existence after all.

"Um...It's Cerata," Inkay raised a surprised eye as he unlocked and opened the door. His jaw dropped as Cerata stood on the opposite side of the doorway. She had all four of her tentacles wrapped around each other in a small braid that rested gently on her right shoulder. She stood in a purple dress that split around her mid-thigh and ended at her knees. She held her head down slightly and looked up at Inkay with bright green eyes, a small smile, and a blush. "Hi...Inkay,"

"Um...hey," Inkay responded in a bit of a daze.

"Are you busy?"

"Um. I was contemplating going to bed,"

"Oh. Well I'll come back some other time,"

"No. No no, come in," Inkay stepped out of the way and gestured for Cerata to enter. She gave a small nod as she walked into the apartment. Inkay shut the door behind her and locked it before following her into his living room. "So how have you been? It feels like forever since I last talked to you," Cerata turned to Inkay with a smile as she sat down on the couch, Inkay following her example.

"I know. It's been too long. I've been good actually. For a spokesperson, I get a lot of paper work. That stuff isn't fun," Inkay chuckled.

"So that Apalo guy being a nice boss?" Cerata looked forward with a face that was hard to read.

"Yeah actually. He was technically always my superior, so he was always a boss, but he's been a lot more...forgiving I guess I can say," Inkay tilted his head at that.

"Tell me about this guy," Cerata shrugged.

"I honestly don't know that much about him except what the public knows. Octameri was really close to him way back when. Then around the time Octavio took over, he got really into his job. Then Octameri had an argument about something. She came home pacing about how he was butt hurt about how Octavio dumped him or something," Inkay's eyes widened a bit.

"Wait, so he swings that way?" Cerata shrugged again.

"I don't know. It was during Octameri's rants so she could've been saying it metaphorically. What I do know is that their relationship only went downhill from there," Inkay nodded in understand and grew quiet for a moment.

"I'm sorry about your sister," Cerata gave Inkay a smile.

"Nonsense. I should still be apologizing for what she did to you," A sullen look overcast Cerata's smile. "I promise you she wasn't so violent...once upon a time. It all started after a recon mission saw how well Inklings in Inkopolis were and then Octavio convinced her that all that was pretty much stolen from us. It started out as a little motivation, then it grew into an obsession, then what you saw. I just wish...she had more time to repent after she found out the truth..." Cerata turned her head from Inkay as her eyes watered a bit. Inkay reached over and gently placed his hand on hers.

"Her apology was all the repentance she needed," Inkay didn't truly believe that statement. He had taken one too many right hooks to the face. But he also didn't want Cerata to cry so he'd push his pride to the side a bit.

Cerata looked down at Inkay's hand when he placed it on hers then up to Inkay. She smiled and wiped her eyes with a sniff.

"Thanks," Inkay smiled and pulled his hand back to lean back on the couch. The two fell into a silence. It started off comfortable enough, but soon turned awkward. The two sat in the silence not entirely sure how to break it. Cerata turned a shade darker as she thought of a topic to bring up. "Um...Inkay?" Inkay turned towards her.

"Yes?"

"...You remember...when you were sneaking me back through Octovalley?" Inkay saw where this was going.

"Yeah..."

"And we had a moment?"

"I remember..."

"Why did you keep cutting me off?" Inkay turned his sight to his ceiling and leaned back on his couch.

"Because I already knew what you were going to say," Cerata turned towards Inkay who kept his sight to the ceiling.

"Oh? Well what was I going to say?" Cerata said turning more towards Inkay. Inkay paused for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"You were going to say...that...you loved me...and you dreamed we had...kids..." Cerata darkened drastically, but she continued.

"S-so why didn't you let me say that? Are you...apposed to the idea?" Inkay let out a low chuckle.

"If I had let you say that, I would've done something stupid," Cerata furrowed her brow in confusion and waited for Inkay to continue. When he didn't she prodded further.

"Stupid how?"

"Stupid like asking you to come back with me. Like trying to find some way to make it work," Cerata blushed and turned her face away. "It's a good thing I didn't too," Cerata turned her head towards him again. "Whether you left or stayed, I would still be Agent 3. I would've still went out and got my shit kicked in my Octameri, and I would've still been scheduled to be executed. But you would be here, blissfully unaware of my situation until Octavio overran the city and took over it and who knows what else. Not to mention all the lives that would've been lost since the city wouldn't have been prepared. So yeah. It's a good thing I didn't let you say those things," Cerata stayed silent for a moment before turning her sights to her hands, gripping her knees softly.

"So...those feelings...do you still have them for me?" Inkay didn't respond. He didn't even move. He just kept staring at the ceiling. Cerata suddenly felt this emptiness in her chest. She turned her sights away from him. That was all she needed to hear. She stood up quickly, not turning towards him again. "I should go," She said already heading towards the door. "I have a meeting in the morning and I don't want to be late for it," Inkay's head had shot towards her as soon as she stood up but she was practically out of his living room by the time he could comprehend what had happened.

"Cerata," Cerata stopped halfway out of the door as Inkay walked out of his living room. She almost fearfully turned towards him as he ran his hand down a tentacle. "As I'm sure you know, I'm an excellent liar. Sis taught me. I turn off my emotions and just run on autopilot until I get the job done. So...I'm not that good with truthfully expressing my emotions...but," Inkay gently took hold of Cerata's hand and guided her back inside, closing the door behind her. "My feelings still stand. I'm sorry for my silence. Thinking back on it it was a stupid move. But I was thinking over something," Cerata tried to keep herself from smiling like an idiot but finding out that Inkay still had feelings for her made her do that.

"Well what were you thinking over?" Inkay scratched his head, a light turquoise over taking his cheeks.

"That maybe you'd...stay here?" Cerata tilted her head Inkay struggled to keep eye contact with her.

"But I really do have a meeting in the morning. I shouldn't be late for that,"

"Well you have cloths here still. It's not like you wouldn't have anything to wear," Cerata brought her fist to her mouth and lightly bit down, breaking eye contact with Inkay.

"I don't know. I mean it is a long walk from here to Octrania...I'll have to get up pretty early,"

"Look," Inkay's hand was placed on the door next to her head, Cerata jumping and subconsciously bit harder into her hand as Inkay stared at her, his eyes seeming to glow in the dim corridor. "I've barely heard from you these past few months. I know we've been busy but I only get passing glances of you. I don't know how you are, or if you're okay. I can't even talk to you. I don't want the next few months to be like that. I don't want the next few weeks to be like that. Hell, I don't want the next few days to be like that," By this point Cerata's cheeks were flushed a dark shade of purple as she kept staring up at Inkay.

"I know this isn't traditional, but I don't wanna risk you walking out that door and I not see you until who knows when to ask then,"

"Inkay...are you?..." Cerata's entire face flushed as Inkay smirked and slowly ran his hand down her cheek, down her arm, and gently took hold of her hand, propping himself on one knee.

"Cerata Entero. Will you marry me? I don't have a ring at the moment but like I said, I don't want to risk not seeing you again for awhile," The hand Cerata was biting was now covering her mouth as tears of joy fell from her eyes.

"Forget the ring! Yes. Yes I will!" Cerata didn't bother letting Inkay get back up as she dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips against his. Inkay wrapped his arms around her back and deepened the kiss, Cerata moaning against his lips.

Inkay slowly leaned back, Cerata following hungrily as she ran her hands over his face. Inkay fell on his back, Cerata falling on top of him in her pursuit. They broke apart laughing. Cerata moved her braid to rest on her back instead of dangle over her shoulder and looked at Inkay, a certain hunger in her eye.

"You know," she started staring at his lips and running a finger down his chest. "Maybe we both should go to bed,"

Inkay smirked and Cerata kissed him again, this time he followed her up, her only giving small pecks as they both rose to their feet. When they both stood completely, Inkay didn't bother waiting to move towards the bedroom. He pressed his lips against Cerata's as she was pushed against the door.

Not complaining, Cerata wrapped her arms around Inkays neck, Inkay using his hands to explore the curves of her body. Inkay gently pressed his tongue against her lips, begging entrance which Cerata graciously granted. Inkay explored Cerata's mouth and body as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Figuring this was as good a time as any to move, Inkay made his way towards his room, holding Cerata up by her rear. He squeezed it occasionally, causing her to jump and let out a small yelp into his mouth. Once in Inkay's room, Inkay plopped Cerata down on the bed, a giggle escaping her mouth as she bounced a bit.

Inkay had a hand on either side of her head as she laid there looking up at him, breathing heavily. He leaned in with a chuckle as he crawled onto bed and hovered over her.

"Pinned ya," He said lowly. Cerata gave him a look with a smirk and a scoff.

"Only because I let you," She said. Inkay chuckled. With a low voice he respond:

"And why would you let me do a think like that?" Cerata bit her lip. She did a quick glance down but returned her sights to Inkay's eyes before wrapping her legs around his waist again.

"Why don't you come here and find out?" With a playful scoff, Inkay pressed his lips against hers again, Cerata running her hands up his chest and around his neck. Inkay balanced himself on one arm and trailed the other up Cerata's outer thigh. He played with the hem of her dress before moving his hand up her side.

Cerata let out a small squeak as Inkay cupped one of her breast. He gave it a small squeeze and Cerata responded with a drawn out moan against his tongue. Inkay continued his slow trek upward until his finger played with the strap of her dress.

Cerata slowly broke the kiss, a trail of saliva connecting their mouths. She adjusted her arms so that Inkay could slide the straps from around her arms and down her frame. Inkay pulled the fabric from around her waist and slowly off her legs. Cerata laid on the bed, waiting patiently as Inkay's eyes took her in entirely. Inkay gave her a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"That's some pretty sexy underwear," Inkay said looking over the black lace bra and panties. Cerata blushed a bit as he continued. "Were you planning this to happen?" Cerata chuckled and brought her fist to her mouth again.

"I wouldn't say planned. More like...hoped for," Inkay chuckled as he slowly lowered himself, placing his head between her legs.

"Were you hoping for something like this?" He asked as he slowly trailed his tongue on the side of her knee up her inner thigh. Cerata's breath hitched as her body bucked.

"Mmhmmm," Inkay slowly dragged his tongue to the edge of Cerata's panties, slowly moving to the opposite side. He was sure to take note of how her womanhood was already causing a damp spot on her panties, and he was sure to let his warm breath hover over her most sensitive area.

Cerata's toes curled as Inkay passed over where she wanted to be touched most. Inkay had bypassed it completely and was trailing nice, slow kisses over her inner thigh. Each kiss made the fire in her only hotter. She was bucking her hips towards Inkay's mouth every time it retreated to move further up and down.

Body getting hotter and hotter, Cerata leaned up and reached behind her, unclasping her bra and tossing it to the side. Inkay, noticing her increased movement, glanced up just as she was discarding the undergarment. She ran a hand through her tentacles, loosening them enough for them to come untangled and drop around, framing her head. Inkay felt himself harden. But, he had already went off trail with the proposal. He was going to take his time with this.

He took his tongue and got a grip of Cerata's panties with it. He hooked it on his teeth and slowly began pulling them down her legs, Cerata biting her lips in anticipation. Inkay returned to his position as Cerata spread her legs for him. He leaned towards Cerata's glistening womanhood as she waited.

Inkay took a finger and gently ran it up her folds, Cerata jumping at his touch. He slowly ran it the opposite direction and repeated the process. He glanced up at Cerata who was already breathing heavy. Her breasts moving up and down as her finger sat in her mouth and her eyes were half lidded and clouded with lust.

Inkay wrapped his arms around her thighs and pulled her closer, a sly smirk on his face. He raised his tentacles up and moved them to her breasts, placing the sucker on them to do their job. Cerata let out a small moan as her free hand moved to one of the tentacles. Inkay leaned his head forward and ran his tongue up her womanhood. He gave it a few more licks before leaning in and sticking his tongue inside.

Cerata's back arched and a louder moan rang out. Both of her hands moved to Inkay's head as he moved his tongue around inside her. Her breaths came out quick and uneven as he worked his magic. Adjusting his position, Inkay placed his mouth over her sensitive bud and gave it a soft suck. Cerata's back arched even more and her toes curled on Inkay's back. Inkay continued exploring Cerata's insides and sucking her clit. Cerata held Inkay's head and pushed her hips towards him, begging him to go deeper. She looked down at him as he pleasured her.

"Look at me," She gasped out. Inkay obeyed, opening his eyes and looking up at her. Cerata bit her lips as she stared into Inkay's enchanting purple orbs. It was the last piece needed to push her over the edge. She threw her head back and squeezed Inkay's between her thighs as her first orgasm wracked her body.

Inkay didn't pause. He worked his tongue to catch as much of Cerata's juices as he could, his continued movements making her body jerk and spasm slightly. When her orgasm died down, Inkay slowly removed his tongue and kissed a small trail from Cerata's bellybutton to her neck. He prepared to kiss her but paused at the look on her face.

Her face was of course flushed several shades of purple, but she looked at him with a saddened pout.

"What?" Not breaking eye contact, she grabbed the belt of Inkay's pants.

"You can't be the only one having fun," She playfully whined as she undid the belt.

"I don't know. You seemed like you were having a lot of fun a second ago," Inkay smirked causing Cerata to as well.

"That's besides the point," She said giving him a quick peck before flipping him over. He smiled as Cerata undid his pants and slowly pulled them down. Cerata sat on his lap and began grabbing the bottom of his shirt. "You're going to have to lose this too," She said licking her lips and pulling up his shirt. Inkay obliged, holding his arms over his head as Cerata took off his shirt. When the shirt passed over his head, Inkay's eyes shifted to worry from the look on Cerata's face.

"What's wrong?" Cerata stared at Inkay. More so his torso. She slowly reached out and gently placed her hand on his stomach, flinching as if she hurt him. Inkay understood what was wrong as Cerata gently and slowly ran her hand up and down his abdomen.

"I'm sorry..." She whispered, her eyes watering a bit. Inkay's entire torso was marked with scars and bruises. The remains of burn marks and the left overs of gashes littered across his entire body. Cerata ran her fingers over the scars, some actually being uneven with the rest of her body. Cerata wasn't expecting to see any of that under his shirt. She thought that he had stayed in his machine long enough to prevent scarring, but he obviously only stayed in long enough to close the wounds.

She should have known he hadn't stayed in long enough to heal completely. He was injured pretty badly and he didn't stay in that long. She was overjoyed to see him standing on his own and didn't think about how long he should've been in there.

Cerata's eyes watered more as she continued running her hand along the scars. Permanent reminders of what he had been through by her own blood. It would be better if it was one big scar, but no. There were dozens. Maybe more. Some big, some small, a few simply huge. The burn marks fusing with some of them. "I'm so sorry,"

"Hey," Inkay sat up, taking the hand that scanned his chest in one hand and gently pulling Cerata closer by the small of her back with the other. He rested his forehead against hers and whispered to her. "You feel that?" Cerata stayed quiet, her eyes still scanning over the marks over Inkay's body. It took a moment before she realized what he was referring to.

 _Ba-dump..._

 _Ba-dump..._

With a sniff Cerata nodded her head. "That beating means I'm alive. That's still beating because of you. And for the rest of my life," Inkay removed the hand on her back and cupped her face, making her look up at him. "It's going to beat for you," Cerata smiled as a few tears fell from her eyes. She pressed her other hand to Inkay's chest and kissed him again, exploring his mouth with her tongue.

Tasting herself on his tongue only made her hotter as she slowly pulled her mouth away. She slowly left a trail of kisses from his collar down his torso, leaving extra gentle kisses along his battle wounds. Looking pass the wounds she noticed Inkay had put on a bit of muscle since she last saw him. Must of been his volunteer work. As she kissed him lower and lower, she slowly applied pressure to Inkay's chest, pushing him back.

Cerata reached Inkay's boxer shorts and wrapped her fingers around the elastic. She pulled them down while leaving soft pecks around his navel. Inkay's member sprung to life once freed from its prison. Cerata looked down and nervously wrapped her fingers around it. She gave it a few slow pumps, Inkay letting out low moans at her motions. Cerata leaned down and placed her head beside Inkay's manhood, stroking it a bit faster as she looked up at him with a smile.

"Don't expect me to know what I'm doing," Inkay chuckled.

"Do whatever you want," Smile widening a bit, Cerata stroked to the base and slowly let her tongue glide over his shaft. Inkay shuddered at the sensation. Cerata ran her tongue around the head of his manhood before wrapping her mouth around it, giving it a soft suck.

Inkay's hips bucked as Cerata experimented with motions. She sucked on the head while her tongue circled it, Inkay responding with soft moans. Cerata slowly took more of his member into her mouth before returning to the head, going a little farther down after every return trip. It took a while before Cerata was able to take the entirety of Inkay's length into her mouth.

Once accustomed to the feeling of him in her mouth, she sped up. Inkay laid his head back on the bed with a smile. He reached down and ran his hand over the head of the girl pleasuring him. He gently caressed her head when his hand ran over one of her suckers. Remembering her reaction to his touch, Inkay sat up, Cerata too into bobbing her head over his member to question what he was doing.

Inkay leaned over and ran a tongue over one of Cerata's suckers. Cerata visibly shuddered and Inkay could feel the vibrations of her moans on his member. He ran both hands over different tentacles, messaging the limbs and caressing the suckers. He sucked on a sucker, gently taking it in his teeth as his tongue rolled over it.

Cerata was doing her best to focus on pleasuring her lover, but what he was doing to her was the best distraction. She stroked his member with her hand and worked mostly with her tongue, her ever increasing moans unintentionally adding to Inkay's pleasure.

Cerata wasn't sure if she was doing a good job though. Inkay seemed calculated and flawless with his movements and what he did to her. She on the other hand became unsteady at his touch and that fire only burned hotter and hotter. She was practically squirming trying to keep herself under control. Her free hand traveled down her body and poked at her moist opening . She slowly glided her fingers along her womanhood and let out another long moan.

"No," Inkay called moving her hand away from her. Cerata slowly dragged her mouth to the top of Inkay's member, releasing it with a small _pop sound_ and a saddened moan. "No pleasuring yourself tonight. That's my job," Cerata ran her hands up Inkay's body, leaning into him and wrapping her arms around his neck, her entrance hovering over his member.

"Then pleasure me," She breathed out. Inkay smashed his lips against hers as Cerata moved a hand to angle him inside her. She slowly lowered herself down, taking the head inside her. Her mouth hung open as Inkay trailed slow kisses down her jaw and to her neck.

Clawing into his back, Cerata continued easing herself down. She paused once she met a bit of resistance, her breaths long and heavy. Inkay caressed her face and kissed her neck and shoulders. Taking a breath, Cerata dropped down, fulling impaling herself on Inkay.

She let out a loud gasp as Inkay caressed her body, soothing her by peppering her with kisses. After a moment, Cerata brought herself back up before slowly dropping back down. Once she found a rhythm, she increased her pace. Inkay gripped her rear and guided her motions, bouncing her up and down on his lap.

With his other hand, Inkay cupped one of her breasts, squeezing it and lightly pinching the nipple. Inkay gave the other attention with his mouth, sucking and nipping at the flesh, rolling his tongue around it. Determined to pleasure her to the best of his abilities, Inkay used his tentacles to caress her suckers, occasionally attaching his and softly pulling them apart.

Cerata was in absolute bliss. She was practically drooling at the flood of sensations her lover was giving her. She held his head against her chest and rocked her hips into his as he bounced her. Her moans turned into loud pants with the occasional shout, the sound egging Inkay on. After a bit of the experience, Inkay held Cerata against him, pushing her until she laid on her back and moved up to look into her eyes.

"You're going to have to be quiet you know? I have neighbors," Cerata smirked running her hand up his back.

"Well you're just going to have to keep me quiet," Inkay smiled and pressed his lips against hers.

She softly moaned into his lips as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Inkay sat motionless for a moment before suddenly pulling out then slamming his entirety back into her. A surprised yelp escaped Cerata, muffled by Inkay's mouth.

Inkay began pumping into her faster and faster, the sound of flesh slapping against each other echoing throughout the room. Cerata moaned loudly against Inkay's lips as she clawed into his back and pressed her chest against his. Her legs fell to the side as her hands moved down his back and gripped his rear, pulling him deeper inside her. Inkay removed his mouth from hers and she bit into his shoulder, trying to keep quiet.

"Cerata...I'm about to..." Cerata nodded against his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his torso and talking in raspy breaths.

"Me too. Harder. Go harder," Inkay obeyed, Cerata letting out a small scream as he increased his pace. The two approached their peak together, Inkay's strokes becoming uneven as Cerata's walls gripped tighter around him. She again wrapped her legs around him as her second orgasm wracked her body, her back arching and body clenching around Inkay, pushing him over the edge as well.

Inkay buried himself completely inside her as he filled her with his seed. Cerata's eyes rolled in their sockets. She let out a loud moan and rode out their shared orgasm as Inkay lightly pressed against her sensitive clit. The two shared another kiss as they came down from their high, their combined juices leaking out of Cerata and onto the bed. Slowly breaking the kiss, the two stared at each other.

"You know, if you have something to say I won't interrupt you this time," Inkay whispered as he hovered over Cerata, his hand cupping her face. Cerata had her arms around his neck and smiled.

"Only if you say it first," Inkay chuckled.

"I lo-" Inkay was cut off as Cerata pressed her lips against his in a quick kiss, smirking at him once they broke apart. "Well fine then I just won't say it,"

"Nooooooo," Cerata playfully whined. "Okay for real this time,"

"I love you," Cerata smiled wider and kissed him.

"I know,"

"Okay, you're losing your rights to hear that," Inkay joked, them both laughing.

"I love you too," The two took a moment to just look into each other's eyes. Inkay lightly pecked her lips and prepared to adjust his position to move. Cerata's legs locked around him keeping him in place. "And where do you think you're going?" Inkay playfully raised an eyebrow with a smirk.

"Pulling out?"

"Oh no," In a quick movement, Cerata flipped Inkay so he was laying down on his back while she sat up on top of him. "Don't think I'm just gonna hit it once and be done," She said resting her hands on his chest and grinding her hips into his. "I've waited a while for this. So I'm thinking about going another round," Inkay smiled back at her, running his hands down the curve of her hips to grip her sides.

"And how many rounds you thinking about going?" Cerata let out a slow moan as she felt him begin to harden again within her and stretch out her insides.

"Mmmmmmm. I don't know. I'm thinking until I pass out," Inkay laughed.

"You pass out? What about me?" Cerata brought a finger to her mouth and sucked on it a bit, her hips grinding into Inkay a bit harder.

"You're right," Cerata whispered, leaning forward and pressing her breasts against his chest, stealing a quick peck against his lips. "You'll pass out way before I do,"

"Oh we'll see about that," Inkay responded gripping her rear and pulling her into another kiss, the sound of flesh slapping against each other once again sounding throughout the room.

* * *

Inkay woke up with sun in his eyes. Blinking to relieve himself from the annoying light, he was sad to see the other side of his bed empty. He sat up and stretched all of his limbs. Glancing to the clock he saw it read 8:30.

Welp. He overslept. Not like he thought he wouldn't. He went to sleep what? Five hours ago? He was surprised he was awake now. Even more surprised Cerata had the energy to get up and go to the meeting thing she had. Oh well. Anyway, he felt good. Tired, yet rejuvenated. It was a strange feeling. But he was going to take it as a sign to take a day off. He deserved it. If nothing else the way he had Cerata calling his name was a good enough reason. A smirk crossed his lips at the memory.

Inkay was about to lay back down when the smell of something caught his attention. He stood from his bed and put on a pair of shorts, slowly stepping out of his room. There were several scents he picked up on, some good some bad. By the time he stepped fully into the hall, a sound accompanied the smell.

"Ah, shit. Damnit all..." Inkay followed the smell and sounds to his kitchen, and he was not really displeased with what he saw.

Cerata stood at the stove wearing nothing but a cooking apron with a spatula in one hand and a skillet in the other. Noticing Inkay step in the doorway, Cerata smiled and sat down the items in her hands and bounced over to him.

"Morning love,"

"Morning beautiful," Cerata gave Inkay a quick kiss, smirking as Inkay's eyes scanned over her being. "I thought you had a meeting,"

"I did," She said turning around and walking back to the stove. "I woke up late with eleven missed calls, one of which being Apalo,"

"What did he want?"

"To know why I wasn't at the meeting obviously. I told him that I was busy last night and overslept and that I'd be there as soon as possible. He just told me not to bother and take the rest of the day off,"

"How nice of him,"

"Without missing a beat he told me to tell you hi,"

"How creepy of him," Cerata laughed as Inkay approached her. "So you cooking breakfast?" Cerata let out an aggravated groan and her brows furrowed as she pouted.

"Trying. I can't seem to get pancakes right for the life of me," Standing behind her, Inkay looked over her shoulder, noticing a plate of eggs that didn't look too bad, bacon that may have been a bit overcooked but still edible, and about five pancakes, only one looking semi-decent. "I just can't seem to get it,"

"It's fine love," Inkay said wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on her shoulder. "You just need practice. I'll help you," Cerata smiled and prepared to throw the failed creations away.

"Mkay,"

"In the mean time," Inkay began kissing Cerata's shoulder and neck area. "I see something that looks pretty delicious right now," Cerata's breath hitched as she slowly let it out.

"Hey," Cerata started looking down at Inkay. "We eat in here," Continuing to kiss down her back Inkay replied

"That's what I plan to do," Inkay continued trailing kisses down Cerata's back. He eventually reached her rear, giving it a squeeze and letting his tongue glide over her moistening womanhood. Cerata leaned over the counter, giving Inkay more access and letting out a pleased moan.

Inkay barely got started when there was a knock on the door. Cerata let out a displeased groan as she looked over her shoulder and Inkay stood up.

"Chances you'll ignore it?" Inkay laughed and gave Cerata's ass a soft slap.

"Go get dressed. We'll continue this later," Cerata turned around and held out her pinky finger with a smirk. Inkay eyed it before laughing. Inkay placed her finger in his mouth and gave it a small suck, her breath hitching as she smiled. Cerata walked to the guest room to put something on while Inkay went to the door. He waited until she was behind closed doors before checking the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's Ms. Gallum dear," Inkay unlocked the door and opened it. On the other side was an elderly Inkling, a bright smile on her face.

"Good morning Ms. Gallum. How may I help you?"

"Just here to thank you for your help the other day,"

"Oh please Ms. Gallum, you don't have to thank me for that,"

"Oh I want to. I had too many bags for an old lady like me so I want to thank you the best way I know," The elderly Inkling held out a box, Inkay giving a smile but shaking his head.

"Please, you don't have to ma'am,"

"Nonsense I baked them especially for you. Cinnamon Swirls. I hope you enjoy them," Inkay took the box and gave the Inkling a nod.

"You don't have to go through the trouble next time Ms. Gallum. Honest,"

"But I want to. I enjoy baking. It's one thing these old limbs can still do. I'm sorry if I woke you up. The husband and I are going on a trip for a few days and I wouldn't be able to get them too you sooner,"

"No ma'am you're fine," Inkay responded.

"Inkay, who was at the door?" Cerata questioned as she exited the guest room. She was wearing an Anchor Sweatshirt, and a pair of shorts that peaked under them.

"They're still here," Inkay called as Cerata approached the door. "Ms. Gallum, this is Cerata. Cerata this is Ms. Gallum. She stays down the hall," Cerata gave the Inkling a bow.

"It's nice to meet you ma'am," Inkay noticed Ms. Gallum's smile vanished as soon as she saw Cerata and that hadn't changed. She suddenly clapped her hands together.

"I just remembered something. I need to go get it. I'll be right back darling, wait right there," Inkay and Cerata looked at each other confused as the Inkling went down the hallway. Inkay passed the box of breakfast sweets to Cerata who oooo'd and took one out, biting into it as she went back to the kitchen.

It wasn't long before Ms. Gallum returned holding two books. She handed them to Inkay, who gave her an odd look.

"I don't need these anymore so I'm sure you'll find more use for them than me. Well, I have to go. She's really pretty by the way," Ms. Gallum gave Inkay a wink and a chuckle as she headed back to her room. Inkay watched her walk off with a raised eyebrow before returning inside and closing the door.

He looked at the book on top and quirked an eyebrow. It was a magazine detailing available houses to own in the Inkopolis area. Flipping through he saw a few pages had comments, like "bad neighborhood", "Good school area", etc. Was the lady telling him he needed to move out of the apartment? Why would she do that?

His face darken a few shades as he looked over the cover of the second book. Cerata returned from the kitchen when Inkay didn't come in.

"So what did she give you?" Inkay handed the first book to her then showed the second book to her. Cerata blushed at the book with a smile.

"Well..."She started taking the book and running a finger over the 'Parenting 101' plastered on the front. "You did fill up the tank last night,"

"Yep," Inkay said giving Cerata a smirk and wrapping his arms around her again. "Over and over again," The two shared a kiss before Cerata pulled away, guiding Inkay towards the kitchen.

"Come on. We can look over some stuff while we eat,"

"Sure thing," Inkay responded with a smile as he followed the love of his life to plan their future together.

* * *

Apalo walked the halls of an Octarian base, his followers scurrying around doing their jobs. One however followed Apalo.

"Since you gave Cerata the day off, you will have to attend the meeting with head of defense at eleven, then the meeting with the Inklings over the blueprints of the power sources at one, and finally you'll have to have a thank you speech prepared for all the personnel volunteering to help us improve," Apalo gave a small nod to the Octarian as he approached his office.

"Very good. Thank you James. I will be in my office until it is time for my first meeting. Please hold all my calls unless it's either someone with information on the terrorists, another war is breaking out, or it's one of the couple," The Octarian nodded with a "Yes Sir," as Apalo stepped into his office. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and let out a tired sigh. Being leader was as exhausting as always.

Looking up he approached a bookshelf on the far wall, pulling out several books before placing them back in a different location. When the last book clicked into place, the shelf groaned and slid to the side, revealing a set of stairs.

Apalo quietly descended the stairs. Further and further down he traveled until he finally reached the bottom. At the bottom there were several tubes that were about as wide as a kiddie pool and reached his waist. Each pool had a different colored liquid bubbling inside of it, but only one had light coming from it. It was a dark purple and the bubbling seemed to alternate between small outbursts to violent splashing.

Apalo approached the tube and rolled up his sleeve until it reached his shoulder. He stuck his arm inside the liquid, feeling around inside before finding what he was searching for.

He slowly pulled his arm out of the liquid, it coated in a layer of purple. In the palm of his hand was a baby Octoling, it too young to even open its eyes yet. Upon exiting the liquid, the baby creature slowly began shaking, it letting out panicked squeaks and whines.

"Shhh shhh shhh shhh, there there," With his other hand, Apalo cupped an amount of liquid and slowly poured it over the young Octarian. He slowly ran a few fingers over the tiny creature, it calming down and leaning into his touch, but still quivering slightly.

"Hush now little one. Face your pain voicelessly," Apalo's eyes seemed to brighten as he looked over the tiny creature in his hand and he smiled, showing his sharpened teeth. "One day when you're big and strong, you will be royalty,"

* * *

 **There you sick little moo cows. You got your lemon. I'm expecting some reviews outa this one. _**

 **So before the flavoring kicked in we got a little information on what's been happening since the peace meeting. Just as with life, not everyone is down for peace, so there are not one, but two groups that would like Inkay's and Cerata's heads on a platter.**

 **Shiro got a prosthetic leg that he is apparently having a bit of trouble with. But oh well. He just needs practice and he can walk again.**

 **We also got a little background on Octameri, Octavio, and Apalo. It seemed like everything went to shit for Octameri and Apalo around the time Octavio took over. Speaking of Apalo, I got his name from Hapalochlaena Lunulata, or the Blue-ringed Octopus, which is supposed to be really poisonous. Squint your eyes and you'll figure out where his first and last name come from. And since we're on the subject of names, Cerata's last name comes from Enteroctopus, or the Giant Octopus. Yay fun fact.**

 **Next up is the smut. You nasty little squid kids wanted it. But don't think me a sellout. I was planning on writing it anyway. And Litosns. Don't think I will bend to your will just because you dare me. In the words of Son Goku(TFS) "Alright alright I'll do it. But I'm doing this for me," I didn't want them to just go straight into the main event, so I spent a lot of time on foreplay among other things. Also, dick, ass, pussy, fuck. I can say and write these words any time I damn well please, except when I'm writing a story. Then I just feel dirty and end up using words like, manhood, rear, and moist. And I don't know why moist is my choice of words considering even in an innocent scenario, moist just sounds dirty to me.**

 **Friend: This cake is really moist.**

 **Me: ...that sounds dirty...**

 **And finally, Apalo has something hidden in his office. A little Octarian child. I wonder what he's doing with that. Oh well.**

 **Well there's one more chapter to this story. Let your imagination run over what you think is going to be in it. I hope you enjoyed my fellow pervs. Thank you for reading and a special thank you to those who reviewed last chapter. I'm serious I'm expecting more reviews on this one considering how many people asked for it. Until next time.**

 **Astalabyebye,**

 **Bang**


	16. Epilogue 2

"Aaawww, aren't you just the cutest thing?!"

"Nnnnnnooo!"

"Yes! Yes you are! You're just so cute!"

"Stahp!"

"Oooooooh, I could just eat you up, you're so adorable!"

"Maaaaaaaaa!"

"Cereza 'Meri' Squiliam. Let go of your little brother right now," There was a chuckle as Cereza slowly let go of the second stage Inkling, who quickly scuttled across the floor towards his mother. Cerata picked up her son and held him against her hip, him burying his face in her side. Peaking out with a glare towards his sister. "Honestly Cereza. Ever since you took control of your form, you can't keep your hands off anything can you?" The teen smiled widely at her mother as she gently rocked back and forth on the floor.

Cereza looked up at her mother with bright eyes. Brownish purple orbs stared up at her mother with bright green highlights surrounding them, much like the purple highlights that circled her mother's eyes. Also like her mother, her head consisted of four thick tentacles with a few suckers over the top half of each one. Unlike her mother, these tentacles were a light fuchsia and were longer. They were about the length of a female Inkling's, though they didn't hang down as far considering how they curled around.

"Can't help it mom. My touch stubs are curious!" She said wiggling her fingers at her mother who smiled and shook her head. "Plus he's just so cute! Look at him!" She added as she stood up. Her brother turned towards her and stuck his tongue out, nuzzling deeper into his mother immediately afterwards. Cerata slightly stuck out her hip to better balance her son and placed a hand on the other. Cerata had grown a bit taller and more womanly over the years. Right now she was wearing her Octoling gear, minus the goggles.

"Regardless of how cute Luca is, you need to stop smothering him. He doesn't like it," Cereza pouted a bit before nodding.

"Yes ma'am,"

"Good. Now your aunt and father will be here soon. You need to get ready," Cereza looked down over herself. She was standing in a plain white T and a pair of purple panties. She quickly turned around to her bed, which was completely covered in cloths.

"I don't know what to wear!" She exclaimed scanning through the pile and picking things up before setting them down else where. "Do I wear something simple and light? Something cute? Or something that screams 'Don't mess with me! I will splat you so hard!'? Also how do I even tell the stats of the gear?" She said picking up a random article of clothing and squinting at it, attempting to find the desired information.

Cerata rolled her eyes again and slowly walked over to her daughter. Luca still glaring at the older female fumbling with her cloths. Cerata gently placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder causing her to turn to her.

"Look, baby," She started. "It doesn't matter what you wear. Especially not now during your first Turf War. Just find something you think feels nice. This is all just for fun. You can worry about stats and such when you participate in Ranked Battles," Cereza looked back at her pile of cloths and took a deep breath.

"Okay mom. But...I don't want to lose my first Turf War..."

"No one wants to _lose_ anything. You can just try your best and have fun," She leaned down and kissed her daughter on the forehead, causing her to smile a bit. "You'll do fine sweetie," Cereza nodded and Cerata turned and exited the room.

She closed the door behind her, letting a sigh escape her lips as she smiled softly to herself. She readjusted Luca on her hip and walked down the hallway, Luca resting his head on her side as she was going to head to the room she and Inkay shared, but the doorbell went off.

"Oh, I bet that's your auntie," Cerata said smiling to Luca. She walked down the hallway and traveled down the set of stairs, picking up a few scattered toys on her way to the door. Once there, she leaned forward and looked through the peephole. She smiled as she stepped back and unlocked the door, pulling it open.

"Hey!"

"Hi Molly! How are you?" Cerata asked as Molly wrapped her and Luca in a soft hug. She wore a pair black glasses and a small smile, her tentacles tied back in a low ponytail that hung down her back. She wore a flowing yellow dress that stopped about half under her knees with a floral pattern scattered over it.

"I'm fine. Just fine," Cerata stepped back into the building, the equally as tall Inkling following her in.

"Thank you so much for babysitting Luca," Cerata said with a smile.

"Oh it's no problem at all. I love my little nephew," Molly said taking Luca and holding him similarly to how Cerata did. "You love me too, don't you Luca?"

"Yesh!" The toddler Inkling called with a shy smile and the end of its fin-like appendage in his mouth. Cerata smiled at the scene as the two came further in and she closed and locked the door.

"Have you heard from Big Brother yet?" Molly asked as she headed into the living room, bouncing slightly, much to Luca's delight.

"No I haven't heard from him yet. He's still out patrolling with the agents," Cerata whispered the second part to her sister-in-law. Molly's smile lowered as she sat down, moving Luca to her knee and bouncing it slightly, keeping him balanced with her hands.

"I really wish he'd do something else. That job is so dangerous,"

"I have full faith that he'll come back safely. Besides, he has Kelp out there with him,"

"Yeah. Which surprises me. I didn't think Lyra would let him do that. She worries a lot," Cerata nodded in agreement as she sat across her dining room table from Molly.

"I agree, but I think she's been focused more on keeping her son in check,"

"Really? He seems like such a good boy,"

"He has his moments, but from what I've overheard from Cereza, he takes after his father in the worst of ways," Molly giggled as Luca laid his head against her stomach.

"Where is Cereza anyway?" Cerata gestured to the second floor as she leaned back and crossed her leg over the other.

"Upstairs getting ready to go,"

"Is she excited?" Cerata let out a small laugh.

"So much so she can't even decide what to wear," The two women laughed together as Luca started drifting off.

"Well who can blame her? I remember when Big Brother and Sister took me to my first Turf War. I was so excited I couldn't aim straight!" Cerata smiled at her in-law's enthusiasm.

"I remember watching that. Sorry I couldn't participate with you,"

"Oh nonsense. You had to take care of Cereza. I completely understand. Anyway, did you hear about Shiro?"

"No? What happened to him?"

"He moved over to New Cod City so Maddie could be with her family. From what Lyra told me she has a big one,"

"Aw, that's nice. Shiro always wanted a big family. I hope they enjoy each other,"

"Yeah. Me too," There was the sound of a lock clicking and both Cerata and Molly looked towards the door. The door opened and Luca slowly opened his eyes at the noise. The sound of the door closing and locking echoed and Inkay rounded the corner. He had grown a bit of muscle and quite a bit taller, now standing about half a head over Cerata, making her have to look up at him. He currently wore a pair of designer headphones, a white Puffer Fish T-shirt, and some black seahorses. Like his younger self, he still let his tentacles dangle freely behind him. In his right hand he held an E-Liter.

"Hey Big Brother," Molly greeted as Cerata stood up.

"Hey little sis. Hey love,"

"Hi sweetie," Cerata smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a quick kiss as Molly covered Luca's eyes. He whined unaware of the reason it was suddenly dark.

"Daaaaaa!" He called trying to move away from the darkness. Inkay chuckled and approached his son, squatting down so they were eye level. Molly removed her hands and Inkay stared into Luca's with wide eyes.

"Hey there squirt!" The toddler laughed at his father's presence causing Inkay to smile. "Give me some fin," Inkay said holding his hand in front of his son. Luca reached forward and tapped his fin against Inkay's hand. "Noggin," Inkay held his head down and Luca taped his against his father's.

"Freeeeeeesh,"

"Fwesh!" Cereata and Molly laughed at the display as Inkay rose to his full height.

"So where's Cereza?" Inkay asked returning to his wife.

"Upstairs trying to pick something out to wear," Inkay smirked and wrapped a hand around Cerata's hip, pulling her closer to him.

"Women. Some pretty fabrics in front of you and nothing get's you more indecisive," Cerata gave him a look and Molly did the same.

"Uh? I resent that," Cerata said poking him in his chest.

"Yeah, me too. Maybe if you didn't buy her all those cloths a few days ago she wouldn't be so indecisive," Inkay chuckled and gave Cerata a peck on the cheek.

"I'm only kidding ladies. But seriously, I'm not surprised she's taking such a long time. She suddenly has so many choices," There was the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs, followed shortly by Cereza swinging around the doorway.

"I'm ready!" She called looking over the room. She wore an Inkvader hat that currently had a color pallet to match her tentacles, a black shirt with a picture of a purple Octopus super jumping towards the viewer, and a pair of Octoling boots. In her left hand she held a Splattershot Jr., previously owned by her father. Her eyes scanned over the room and she smiled as she stepped in.

"Hi daddy. Hi Aunt Molly,"

"Hey darling," Inkay said wrapping his daughter in a hug, Molly giving a greeting behind him.

"So are you ready to go?" Cereza asked her father, her eyes practically sparkling.

"Just gotta say good bye to sis then we'll be good," Cereza pumped her fists as Inkay walked over to Molly, Cerata heading upstairs to grab her weapon. "So you hear from Kiara?" Molly nodded as Luca reached up, trying to get his father to pick him up. All he got was his head rubbed.

"Yeah. She's headed towards the tower now," Inkay nodded.

"Thanks again for babysitting sis,"

"No problem! Any time!"

"Gotta go squirt. You be good now okay?" Luca reached to his father with a displeased groan and a furrowed brow. "I'll play with you when I get back I promise," Luca pouted angrily as Molly chuckled and began bouncing her leg again. Cerata came down the stairs holding a Rapid Blaster while Cereza was at the door, practically bouncing as her parents approached.

"Bye guys! Have fun Cereza!" The group said their goodbyes as they exited the house. Cereza taking excited steps forward while Inkay and Cerata took calm, relaxed steps beside each other, smiles on their faces.

It wasn't long until they reached the train station that led to their designated plaza, but to Cereza, the wait was torturous. They stepped onto the train and found a seat, Cereza sitting between her parents.

"Ooo! You think I might run into Wakame in a Turf War?" She said looking up to Inkay. The Inkling shrugged his shoulders as he looked forward.

"I don't know. Maybe," Cereza looked forward with a glint in her eye.

"I'd love to ink him in his smug face," Cerata laughed at her daughter as the train began moving.

"What's with you two anyway?"

"You said it yourself mom. We've been rivals ever since before I was born. Now I've got the perfect playing field to prove I'm the coolest," Cerata nudged her daughter arm with her own.

"And what if you end up losing?"

"Simple. I bust out these puppies," She said looking up to her father, giving him the puppy dog eyes and a pout. Inkay glanced down and saw the look his daughter was giving him and recoiled, covering his eyes with his arms.

"No! It's too adorable! Turn it off! Turn it off, I can't take it!" Inkay called as Cereza laughed.

"There's no way he can say no to a girl. There's no way," Cerata smiled down at her daughter.

"Whatever it takes to win I guess," Cereza looked at her with a nod, Inkay taking an over-dramatized sigh of relief. "So why did you decided to wear that?" Cerata asked. Cereza looked over the cloths she wore and smiled.

"Well, I remembered you telling me that I was the first Inkling Octoling hybrid. So, I wanted to wear something that represented both of my backgrounds. The shirt was the only thing I had that had a picture of an Octopus on it, and I remember when you guys told me the story of how you met, and this hat got you to change colors, so...yeah..." Cereza smiled to herself as her parents smiled at her. Cerata leaned down and gave her a kiss on the side of her head and Inkay wrapped his arm around her.

The rest of the ride was quiet save for the rumbling of the train. Cereza constantly looked over the Splattershot Jr. In her hands, examining ever nook and cranny and how it connected to her ink tank.

Once they reached their stop, Cereza practically jumped off the train. She stepped out and turned towards the door, waiting for her parents to follow.

"Come on guys! You're so slow you're standing still!"

"You just hope your targets are as slow as us then so you can actually hit them," Inkay called out as he stepped off the train. Cereza shot a hand over her heart and flinched as if wounded.

"Shots fired," The three headed towards the plaza, it busy as usual. Just like Apalo had said, Octarians and Inklings now lived together, and the plaza showed that as Inklings, Octarians, and Octolings walked around, chatted, and simply enjoyed life. Cereza made sure to greet anyone who came too close or made eye contact. And how could she not? All the people here were potential friends/rivals! She had been to the plaza only twice now, the first time being two days ago when her dad took her shopping.

But right now shopping was the last thing on her mind. What was on her mind right now was the tower with the Great Zapfish wrapped around it. It was her portal to the greatest sport known to Octarians and Inklings alike.

"Cereza," Cereza stopped in her tracks at her father's call. "Mind if we make a quick detour?" Cereza let out a groan as she approached her father.

"To where?" Inkay tilted his head down an alleyway, causing Cereza to raise an eyebrow. She shrugged, following her parents. Inkay led the group into the alleyway, Cerata standing next to her daughter. It wasn't long until they reached the end.

"Hey Spyke," Inkay called. Cereza looked around her parents and froze up for a second at the sight of the spiky person sitting in the corner of the alley. He turned one green eye towards them and a slow smile creeped across his face.

"Ello loves. It's been awhile," Inkay and Cerata smiled.

"It has. I meant to come by about two days ago, but it got pretty late,"

"Nonsense. Never too late to visit a friend," Cerata took Cereza by the shoulders and moved her in front of her an Inkay.

"We have someone to meet you," She said, Cereza giving a small smile and a wave.

"Ey," Spyke said going wide eyed and looking the girl over. "This w'uldn't happen to be the little thing barely talking w'uld it?" Cerata gave a proud smile as she pulled Cereza into a hug.

"Yeah, this is her," Spyke gave Cerata a congratulating smile.

"Ya're scaring me love. They grow up too fast," He said.

"Speaking of, I heard the news. Congratulations," Inkay said, Cerata looking at him confused as Spyke smiled wider up at him. "Here ya go," Inkay said handing Spyke two Super Sea Snails.

"Thanks mate. What can I do for ya today?"

"Oh these are freebies. Congratulation presents," Spyke gave Inkay another thank you and set one SSS down on his left and raised his right arm higher, causing his clothing to drape.

"Ey, you hungry?" From beneath his cloak, a small sea urchin emerged, barely reaching halfway to Cereza's knee. The small thing opened his eye, his neutral expression looking like an angry glare. His eye was a bluish green and his spikes started out pitch black at the base but transitioned to various shades of red and green at the tips.

The young urchin looked over the people standing in front of him before looking away uninterested. What did catch his attention was the Snail in his father's hand. He reached towards it with his little hands and mouth open, eye still in that glare like look.

Cerata and Cereza instantly jumped into a crouch position to get a better look at Spyke's son, giving ooo's and aaaw's. The child didn't like the attention however as he jumped back and balled himself up, instinctively pointing his head towards the two females. He eventually opened his eye in what was probably an actual glare.

"He's so cute! What's his name?" Cerata asked.

"'is name is Echino. He's my little bundle of joy," Spyke said reaching over and picking up his screw driver. "Ya've gon' and spooked him. It'll be awhile before he comes back out,"

"Aww, I'm sorry," Cereza whined.

"Alright come on ladies. Time to go," Cerata and Cereza both stood as Spyke looked on.

"Have a good day mate. And thanks for the snails,"

"No problem," Inkay called back as the squad left. They once again headed towards the tower, this time not stopping until they reached it. Though the reason they stopped wasn't planned.

"Mr. Apalo!" Cereza called stepping over to the older Octarian. Apalo was standing against the entrance to the tower with a bored look on his face. He wore a plaid button up with a white undershirt and khakis. He had two of his tentacles tied down into a bang that hung freely over his left eye and the other two tied back in a pony tail.

Upon hearing his name called his eyes leisurely followed the voice. Once his eyes locked on to Cereza and her parents, his bored expression didn't change, but he did grow a smile. Cereza ran up to him, stopping in front of him to give a small bow, him doing the same.

"Young Cereza. My how you've grown," He said lazily scanning over the girl in front of him. Inkay and Cerata walked up and stood on either side of their daughter, smiling at the man. "Inkay and Cerata. You both look wonderful as well," He said extending a hand to both of them. They shook his hands and returned his compliment.

"Are you here to participate in a Turf War Mr. Apalo?" Cereza asked. Apalo looked down at the girl and smiled.

"Oh no. This sport just isn't for me. I understand it's just harmless fun but it reminds me of...darker times,"

"Then what are you doing here?" Inkay questioned.

"Well I didn't want to miss out on your first Turf War. I hear that the large majority of Squid Kids enjoy running here as soon as they take control of their form," Cereza was practically bouncing on her feet in excitement. "Well I'm just here to wish you good luck. I'll be rooting for you," He said ruffling Cereza's tentacles, careful not to run his hand over a sucker. "Don't baby her too much now you two," He added as he walked by her parents.

"Didn't plan on it," Cerata responded. Inkay watched the man walk off for awhile before the sound of his daughter snapped him out of his trance.

"Come on dad let's go!" Inkay followed the ladies of his life inside the building and walked towards the receptionist.

"Hello, what can I interest you today?" The bright eyed green tentacled Inkling asked.

"Um, the Squiliam family? Is there already a squad room?" Inkay asked as his daughter bounced excitedly behind him. The Inkling typed on her computer for a bit before responding.

"Yes there is. Last door on your left, you'll find your respawn bracelets in there waiting for you. When you're ready pressed the button and you will be randomly given opponents and a stage to battle on. Please obey all the rules and have fun," She finished her instructions with a smile which they all returned.

"Thank you!" Inkay said as Cereza said it as well, practically running down the hall. She ran to the door and threw it open, her smile only widening when she looked inside.

"About time you guys got here," Kiara said leaning against the far wall. She had a small squid hairclip, a black tank top, the standard Inkling shorts, and a pair of combat boots on. Thrown casually over her shoulder was a Gold Dynamo Roller. She blew a bubble and let it pop as Inkay and Cerata stepped in.

"Aunt Kiara!"

"Hey sis. How you doing?"

"I'd be doing better if you guys weren't dragging your asses," She said with a smirk crossing the room. She handed each one of her family members their bracelets as she continued. "I already got us a match so we should get going," She said walking down the hall towards the transporter that would send them to their match. They all stood on the transporter and looked at the screen naming their opponents. Two more and they could be warped to their destination: Walleye Warehouse.

Kiara looked down at Cereza, who was suddenly very still compared to what she was before.

"Nervous kid?" She asked as Cereza nodded her head.

"Now that I'm here, I have such a feeling like I'm about to vurp," Kiara chuckled. She reached over and grabbed her niece by the shoulder and squeezed it lightly, giving her a light shake.

"You're going to do great," Cereza looked up to her aunt and gave a nod. One more person needed to join the match before it started.

"Now remember Cereza: Everyone has a job in a squad. Don't think we're going to baby you this entire match," Inkay said smiling back at his daughter. Cereza blew a raspberry at her dad before smirking.

"I'm no baby. I'm sure I can handle myself," Inkay smirked and looked back up to the screen just as the last person needed joined. The entire group transformed, Cereza taking a deep breath before doing so, and were transported to their destination.

Looking over Walleye Warehouse, two Inklings sat looking down, preparing to commentate on the Turf War preparing to start.

"Well Chuck, it seems like this one is going to be a very interesting Turf War. Do you know why?"

"Yes I do Frank. Yes I do. This Turf War is going to be played by-"

"Out of the way Chuck,"

"We're taking over,"

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I have with me The Squid Sisters in the stands!"

"Yeah, and we'll be broadcasting this one!"

"You can have it back when we're done," The camera was suddenly shifted and a bit of noise came from off screen. When the camera returned, Callie and Marie were sitting in the commentator seats with the headsets on.

"Good evening everyone!" Callie called out.

"It's not Inkopolis News Time but we have something special for you!" Marie called out.

"This Turf War will be really special because not only is Cerata, the second face of the Octarian race participating,"

"But also Leviathan, the Inkling who not only helped said Octoling reveal the evil Octavio's weaknesses 15 years ago, but married her, being the first Interracial couple,"

"'But Callie, Marie! They've participated in a lot of Turf Wars since then!' I hear you thinking. That's right I can hear your thoughts,"

"Well, this will be the first time they will participate with Leviathan's sister, Kiara, and their beautiful daughter Cereza,"

"The first Octoling Inkling hybrid! I'm sure we have quite the show for you folks!" Callie called out as the two teams appeared on the warp pads on opposite sides of the map.

"Let's be clear, we will not be rooting in favor of either team, and are simply here to observe the match first hand,"

"Whooooo! Go Cereza! Show us what you got girl!" Marie turned towards her cousin with a deadpan look.

"Thanks Callie. Thanks for making me into a liar on live TV," Callie chuckled.

"Ooo! It looks like the stage is all set!" Callie said looking over the map as the count down started.

Cereza could feel her heart beating in her chest as they appeared in Walleye Warehouse. Everything seemed to slow down as she looked over everything. In the far distance she could see the other team, specks of orange waiting patiently for the game to start.

She scanned her eyes over her family. Inkay calmly took out a band, resting his charger on his side to tie his dark blue tentacles up. Kiara glanced down at her own, noticing they were a dark blue as well. The transporter much have changed them.

She looked up to the other members of her family. Her mother rolled her neck and the arm that held her weapon. A smile crossed her face as she eyed the team on the other side. Kiara had her roller propped up on the ground leaning against it, blowing bubbles and letting them pop before casually licking them off her face. She glanced over to Cereza and gave a smirk and a wink.

Cereza smiled back, turning forward as she gripped her weapon in both hands. This was it. The moment she had been waiting for. A gunshot fired signaling the start of the match and colors started flying. With a huge smile on her face, Cereza only had one thought:

This was going to be fun.

* * *

 **Well there you have it folks. The final chapter of Octo Colors is out. Did you enjoy it? Like epilogues tend to do, this was just a bunch of information on how everyone's doing. Shiro moved away to live with Maddie and her big family, Cerata and Inkay have two kids, one just turning 14, Kelp joined the Agents and he and Lyra have a son named Wakame(which wasn't obviously stated but I'm stating it here. Wakame is also a type of Kelp) who is apparently just a bit older than Cereza, Spyke even has a kid. Have fun guessing who the mother is.** **Luca's name also comes from a type of squid that glows. Yay little fun facts.**

 **Inkay and Cerata now live in a two story house instead of an apartment so yay them. A bit of a travel to the main plaza but eh. "Hold on Bang. We don't know what's the deal with Apalo though, and this is the final chapter! Does that mean..." I hear you thinking with bated breath. That's right, like Callie I can read your thoughts.**

 **I do in fact have a sequel planned for this story. Again in the words of Goku(TFS) "I'm doing this for me". What's it's going to be about, I will not say right now, but I will say this: expect some dark topics as well as a bit more flavoring similar to last chapter. Though I do it for me I aim to please. (insert lenny face)**

 **Speaking of lemony goodness, you guys are lucky. You guys are reaaaaallll lucky. Reeeeaaaaalllly lucky that I was already planning on writing a lemon for this story, because after reading the third review requesting one, my brain went "You know what you should do? You should go animation domination on these people and go scientifically accurate on their behinds." I slowly looked up to the ceiling with a smile on my face and went, "Not today brain. Not today," During the time of writing this story, I've looked up a few facts on Squids and Octopuses(Yes I even looked up to see if it was that or Octopi) to make** **names and little scenes etc. The reason I made Cerata's suckers sensitive is because I read that Octopus suckers have a lot of nerves in them, which they can use to taste, "smell", and even be tickled by. Now out of those three, I think the third would be the least weird. But anyway, if you want to know how I would've written a scientifically accurate lemon scene, just ask and I'll message you the bare details. I'm not writing a separate story for it.**

 **And again, on the subject of scientifically accurate, a response to pizzarobot63. I'm pretty sure they can give blowjobs. I was writing the scene when I thought the same thing, but looking at official art of the way their teeth beak is made, a blowjob would in fact be possible. Risky if not done carefully yes, but possible. I'm not trying to change your mind on it or anything, I'm just putting my two cents in on the matter. .3.**

 **To one of the Guest, who reviewed while I was typing this stuff out. Hashtag Inkata. I lol'd, I promise you I did. And I spelled out the hashtag cause I don't know if fanfic keeps them up or not. This is a test of the hashtag system. #**

 **There should be a hashtag there now.**

 **Anyway, there it is folks. I hope you enjoyed this story, and I thank you for reading. A big thank you for those who reviewed and have been with me since chapter one. Be sure to keep an eye out for the next installment. Until our paths cross again.**

 **Astalabyebye,**

 **Bang.**


	17. Sequel

**Hi there everyone! This isn** **'t really a chapter, sorry to disappoint, but just a sign for those who don't know. The sequel of this story is already three chapters in. If you're like me, you rarely go searching for new stories, so a lot of things go under your radar, so this is for people like that. The sequel is called Evolution of Colors. I don't want to get into too much detail, but I hope the sequel gets just as popular as Octo Colors.**

 **Anywho, hope you all enjoy Evolution of Colors! I thank all of you who have stuck around through Octo Colors. Until we meet again,**

 **Astalabyebye,**

 **Bang**


End file.
